JULT 27, 1883.] 



SCIENCE. 



97 



The establishment of a biological station at 

 Wood's IIoll, which, in the hands of Professor 

 Baird. will doubtless be pushed to a speed}' 

 completion, will create facilities for the study 

 of marine life on a much larger scale than we 

 have hitherto seen in this country ; and the 

 successful issue of this enterprise, we venture 

 to predict, will increase rather than diminish 

 the number of American naturalists at Naples. 

 Whatever improves our facilities for stud}- 

 will tend to increa.'se the general interest in 

 biolog3% and to augment the number of natu- 

 ralists who will seek the best that the world 

 affords in the way of miethods. The time will 

 never come when direct interchange of thought, 

 and comparison of methods of research, will 

 cease to be of the highest importance to the 

 biologist. On the contrarj-, these things will 

 become more and more a necessary part of the 

 experience of every one who aims to be a use- 

 ful and successful student of life. The prog- 

 ress of biological studies will soon create a 

 demand for more than one international labora- 

 tory, and we certainly hope that the new sta- 

 tion at Wood's Holl will take this character. 

 The establishment of several great stations at 

 different points, selected according to the rela- 

 tive richness and importance of the fauna and 

 flora, each offering Aicilities for study similar 

 to those enjoyed at Naples, and open to nat- 

 uralists of every countr}-, would prepare the 

 wa}- for a concentration and organization of 

 forces, and inevitably raise the standard of 

 work, and check the accumulation of drift- 

 wood. It is obvious that the usefulness of 

 one station would not be impaired bj- the exist- 

 ence of others, since the work of each would 

 be supplementary to that of the otiiers. 



The character and importance of the publi- 

 cations of the station have been so well stated 

 by Mr. Cunningham in the article before re- 

 ferred to, that little remains to be said on this 

 topic. In looking over the list of subscribers 

 to the Fauna and flora, we are again forced 

 to acknowledge the slender interest which 

 America has taken in the Naples station. 

 Here is a colossal series of magnificeut mono- 

 graphs, designed to give an exhaustive treat- 



inent of the plants and animals found in the 

 Gulf of Naples, and published at a price that 

 ought to insure them a place in the private 

 library of every zoologist and botanist in the 

 country- ; and yet the list of subscribers, ac- 

 cording to the last circular, numbers only eight. 

 Even such countries as Holland and Switzer- 

 land outdo us. Austria and Russia have each 

 twice this number of subscribers ; Ital}' has 

 nearly four times, England about five times, 

 and Germany ten times, as many. 



As our poor representation cannot be at- 

 tributed wholly to indifference, it is safe to 

 conclude that these monographs are not so 

 generally known as they deserve to be. Thirty 

 of the series have alread}' been announced, six 

 of which have been completed. From two to 

 four are published each year in quarto form, 

 and illustrated with numerous expensive plates, 

 at an annual subscription-price of only twelve 

 dollars and a half. The number of subscribers 

 is now two hundred and sevent}', and the three 

 hundred and fifty copies of Dr. Chun's Mono- 

 ijritphie der Ctenophorae — the first in the se- 

 ries — have been alreadj* nearl}' exhausted. 

 The monographs are written either in English, 

 German, French, or Italian, according to 

 the preference of the authors. Such brilliant 

 achievements in the line of exhaustive research 

 as are embodied in these monographs certain- 

 ly command our homage, and assuredl}' de- 

 serve a more generous recognition than the}- 

 have yet received in this country. 



C. O. WUITJIAN. 



THE NATIONAL RAILWAY EXPOSI- 

 TION.^— 111. 



In England and Europe generally, signals 

 of every conceivable variety have been used ; 

 but experience has shown that the semaphore 

 is the best signal, and its universal adoption 

 in Great Britain and on the busiest railways 

 on the continent of Europe is a gopd exam- 

 ple of the doctrine of the survival of the 

 fittest. The exposition, we regret to observe, 

 contains many forms of signals that are 

 neither distinct in appearance nor positive in 

 meaning. It is hard to say whether some of 

 them mean safety or danger. A mere change 



1 Cunlinued from Xo. 23. 



