558 



SCIENCE. 



LVoL. II., No. 38. 



The terrestrial and aerial fauna oflers abiin- 

 dauce of water-birds, lizards, geckoes and 

 insects, scolopendra and scorpions. 



The Arago laboratory is a brick and stone 

 building, about forty metres long and ten metres 

 ■wide, facing nearly northward. The illustra- 

 tion is a view of the laboratory looking nearly 

 southward from the village. The ground-floor 

 of the laboratory is devoted to a small room 

 for the janitor, another for apparatus, and to a 

 large room for aquaria. In the centre of the 

 last room is a large oval aquarium, and about 

 the room are smaller aquaria to be devoted to 

 special purposes. The water from these aqua- 

 ria passes out of the front of the building, and 

 supplies other aquaria in the open air. It is, 



his room, the worker has upon his right a 

 table for drawing; in front, toward the large 

 window, — which, with the climate of Banj'uls, 

 can be open much of the time, — is a table for 

 his microscope and ajjparatus ; at his left, a 

 table for specimens. Turning to his right, the 

 investigator can write his notes and draw, free 

 Irom the danger of water from his larger speci- 

 mens. This arrangement of tables in three 

 sides of a square, with a revolving-chair at the 

 centre, is an idea original, as far as zoologi- 

 cal laboratories are concerned, with Professor 

 Laeaze-Duthiers ; and, after having used for a 

 time tables thus arranged, one never is exactl3' 

 at ease when they are placed otherwise. As 

 if these were too meagre furnishings for each 



ARAQO LAEOKATOET, SEEN 



however, upon the first floor that the arrange- 

 mcuts made by Professor Lacaze-Duthiers 

 attain the maximum of convenience. A hall 

 runs lengthwise through the middle of the lab- 

 oratorj' ; and from this hall open out at each 

 side the separate rooms, consisting of a store- 

 room for glassware, a lecture-room, a library-, 

 a room for the director, and nine rooms for 

 work. Instead of having a table, as is the 

 usual mode in laboratories, each worker has a 

 room (four metres square) to himself, wherein 

 he can earrj" on researches undisturbed by his 

 neighbors. As the laboratory is intended for 

 advanced students pursuing original investiga- 

 tions, this pi'ovision is of special importance. 

 Sitting on a revolving-chair in the middle of 



room, another table, a bookcase with drawers, 

 and shelves, are added. A flowing supply of 

 salt water will be, or probably is alread}', 

 available for small aquaria in each of these 

 work-rooms. Three of the rooms have chim- 

 neys, and are more especially desirable for 

 physiological researches. The second floor is 

 not yet used, but probably will be ultimately 

 partitioned into sleeping-rooms for those who 

 work in the laboratory.' 



The laboratory possesses already, besides 

 two rowlioats lor collecting along the inden- 

 tations of the coast, a new boat of the same 

 general construction as arc the fishing-boats of 



' For a detailed dcsciiption and plans of Uio .-VraEco laliora- 

 tory, SCO the /I'evue scieiilijiciue, Dec. 3, 18S1, x.wiii. 70S-7Io. 



