OCTOBEK 25. 1895.] 



SCIENCE. 



545 



nishing in advance definite ideas of what 

 forms to select for work, how to proceed, 

 and what to read, and, if possible, by put- 

 ting the student into communication with 

 some one who is willing to give an occa- 

 sional word of advice. This help may be 

 well given in advance at the universities 

 and colleges from which students come, as 

 is proved by our experience this season ; 

 much time thereby is saved for them and 

 their work is more consistent and fruitful. 



Another advantage of the presence of 

 students who are doing work of a more gen- 

 eral character is the custom of regular 

 towing, and of constantly bringing into the 

 Laboratory fresh supplies of living material 

 of many kinds. The tow net is also drawn 

 each day by Collector Vinal IST. Edwards, 

 of this station, and this, together with the 

 large and beautiful aquaria in the exhibition 

 room of the Laboratoiy, keeps all the men 

 engaged in special research in association 

 with general phenomena of the most at- 

 tractive kinds. 



It is very interesting also to see how 

 much material for future work is each year 

 taken from this Laboratory. Everj^ re- 

 search worker carefully collects all that he 

 can to furnish his basis of study during 

 the winter to come; every teacher secures 

 also a collection of forms for class de- 

 monstration in the coming academic year, 

 while some come here entirely for such 

 genei'al collecting. In this way biological 

 work in all of the twenty universities, 

 colleges and secondary schools represented 

 here this season will derive many advan- 

 tages from this station. In this connection 

 we feel that too much cannot be said of our 

 appreciation of the excellent collecting 

 facilities offered here by the equipment of 

 boats and other apparatus, nor of our grate- 

 ful recognition of the invariable courtesy 

 and cooperation of the U. S. Fish Commis- 

 sion authorities immediately in charge of 

 this station. 



Some of the most pleasant occasions of 

 the summer were the informal gatherings 

 held each Monday evening, at one of the 

 large rooms of the ' Residence,' at which 

 some of the older members of the Labo- 

 ratory described the results of their various 

 lines of investigation. Seven different themes 

 of original research were thus presented, 

 while the interest was much increased by 

 the very general discussions and questions 

 which followed each talk. 



Altogether, this has been a very success- 

 ful season at the Laboratoiy; there has been 

 an earnest tone of work that has made it- 

 self felt throughout. We also owe very 

 much to the advantages coming from our 

 proximity to the Marine Biological Labora- 

 tory, and consider that much of our success 

 is due to being so near to the active work 

 of that institution. 



We learn just at the closing of the season 

 of the death of the Commissioner of Fish 

 and Fisheries, Marshall MacDonald. Our 

 grief is very deep at this sad news, for he 

 was to all of us who have been associated 

 with him a personal friend whom we loved, 

 even as we respected his most liberal mind. 

 His generous appreciation of all purely sci- 

 entific work was a direct fulfilment of the 

 original design of Professor Baird. Com- 

 missioner MacDonald's kindness, sympathy 

 and pei-sonal interest in the young men 

 working at this Laboratory will ever remain 

 as most chei'ished memories hy those who 

 thus knew him. 



J. I. Peck. 



GEOGRAPHY AT THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION. 



At the Ipswich meeting of the British 

 Association, the Geographical Section was 

 distinguished by the exceptionally small 

 number of papers offered for reading, and 

 several of those which were presented were 

 read, contrary to the usual practice, in the 

 absence of their authors. These facts must 

 not be taken as implying any loss of interest 



