96 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. II., No. 25. 



amount of work in a given time, and witii tlie 

 least possible annoyance. 



The furnishing of the table also deserves 

 attention. Within twent3--four hours after 

 notice is given, one finds his table ready for 

 use, supplied with drawing-material, a large 

 varietj' of reagents, staining-fliiids, and all the 

 appurtenances required for the most diflflcult 

 kinds of research. It is not the raw material 

 that one finds on his table, but every thing 

 actually prepared and ready for immediate use. 

 Further needs are promptl}- supplied on request. 

 Thus every tiling is arranged to save the time 

 of the investigator, and render his work as 

 efiective as possible. Compare these fiicilities 

 for studj' with those offered anj-where else, and 

 the contrast is at once apparent. 



The conservator's department, under the 

 direction of Salvatore Lo Bianco, has become 

 one of unusual interest and importance ; and 

 the work it is doing deserves to be generallj' 

 known in this country. The work of this de- 

 partment is the preservation of all the material 

 brought to the station, except what is required 

 to supply the tables and the public aquarium. 

 The success with which this most difficult busi- 

 ness of preserving marine animals in lifelike 

 appearance is accomplished, is certainly mar- 

 vellous, and richly desferves the highest tribute, 

 of praise. This department is producing 

 results of immense value to science, and its 

 usefulness is now widely recognized. Its 

 beautiful prepai-ations adorn the shelves of 

 nearl3' everj* museum in Europe ; and it is 

 constantly sending out supplies to laboratories 

 for teaching purposes. Mauj' naturalists who 

 find it inconvenient to worlv at Naples are 

 supplied by this department with material in 

 such perfect state of preservation for anatomi- 

 cal and histological study, that they are en- 

 abled to carr3' out their investigations without 

 once visiting the station. There are undoubt- 

 edly museums and laboratories in tliis country 

 that would do well to avail themselves of this 

 opportunity. This department has been cre- 

 ated for the special purpose of serving science 

 in the above-named ways, and not for increas- 

 ing the funds of the station ; and hence the 



preparations are made for a sum that scarcely 

 more than covers the expense of the alcohol and 

 other reagents used in their preservation. 



There is still another wa}' in which this de- 

 partment of the station might be of importance 

 to this country. Doubtless some arrange- 

 ments might be made between our naval au- 

 thorities and the director of the station, such 

 as have been made in the case of German}^ 

 and Italy, which would enable us to send an 

 officer from time to time to the station, with 

 a view to gaining a practical knowledge of 

 the methods of preserving animals. In this 

 way each of our war-ships might be supplied 

 with one officer prepared to take advantage of 

 the rare opportunities for advancing our knowl- 

 edge of marine life which arise in the course 

 of their distant cruises. 



In view of the considerable number of Amer- 

 ican students in the biological laboratories of 

 Europe, and the manj- applications on their 

 part for permission to work at Naples, there 

 has naturall}' been some surprise at the fact 

 that America has hitherto declined to con- 

 tribute anj' thing towards the support of the 

 station. The honor of taking the first step 

 towards rectifying our mistake in this matter 

 belongs to Williams college. It is to be 

 hoped that the example set by President Car- 

 ter and the trustees of this college will not 

 long remain the onh* evidence of our appre- 

 ciation of the Naples station. Three or four 

 tables will at least be required to meet the 

 demands of our zoologists alone, judging from 

 the number now at work there. It is not 

 right that American students should go to 

 Naples as beggars, to be received out of cour- 

 tesj', or iudii'ectl}- through the liberality of 

 English or German universities. Of the twen- 

 tj'-six tables now taken at the station, Ger- 

 many controls twelve ; Italj-, four ; England, 

 two ; Russia, two ; Belgium, two ; Holland, 

 one ; Hungar3-, one ; Switzerland, one ; and 

 Williams college, one. There are four tables 

 not yet disposed of, two of which, at least, 

 should be secured at once by America. Will 

 not some one or more of our universities take 

 this matter in hand ? 



