APRIL 12, 1901. ] 
mere census of animals and plants or a pub- 
lication of lists showing local and geograph- 
ical distribution. It is broad enough to in- 
clude matters of an ecological character, and 
this view has largely determined the general 
plan of operations. It would have taken 
less time to send the material of the vari- 
ous collections to specialists at Washing- 
ton, or elsewhere, and have identifications 
made by them, than to collect the necessary 
literature and allow the time and expense 
involved in the training of a group of 
specialists on the staff of the State Labora- 
tory; but the former plan would have re- 
sulted simply in the accumulation of named 
material as a basis for lists of plants and 
animals with reference to local and geo- 
graphical distribution, while the latter 
course is essential to a natural history sur- 
vey in a wider sense. The director re- 
gards as one of the most important objects 
to be attained by the State Laboratory in- 
vestigations, the presentation of the knowl- 
edge obtained in a form accessible to all in- 
terested intelligent citizens of the State. 
Much remains to be done before this work 
will be completed. Most of the literature 
thus far published by the State Laboratory 
has been more or less technical and written 
with reference to the specialist, but such 
material is to be considered as a sort of by- 
product incidental to the prosecution of the 
more essential duties. 
Two important lines of work are now in 
progress. One of these, the ichthyological 
survey, has received much attention during 
the past two years and will result in the 
publication of a comprehensive report on 
all the fishes occurring within the borders 
of the State, in which as full an account as 
practicable of life histories, habits and con- 
ditions of environment will be given in 
addition to the ordinary descriptive matter. 
Each species is to be illustrated by colored 
plates made from living. specimens. I 
have brought, for the inspection of those 
SCIENCE. 
567 
interested, a few of the drawings already 
prepared, which reflect great credit on the 
State Laboratory artist, Miss Lydia M. 
Hart, by whom they were made. 
Another line of work which is being vig- 
orously prosecuted is the study by Dr. Ko- 
foid of the plankton material collected from 
the Illinois river at frequent intervals dur- 
ing a period of nearly five years. The work 
of counting has been completed, and the 
data are being got into proper form as 
rapidly as possible. As a result of this work 
much interesting and important knowledge 
is being gained concerning the life histories, 
seasonal distribution, relative numbers and 
sequence of succession of many of the mi- 
nute organisms composing the river plank- 
ton. Ags most of the counting work has 
been done since Dr. Kofoid made a prelim- 
inary report in this place a year ago, I may 
mention that some interesting facts stated 
by him in a tentative way have been con- 
firmed. For example: (1) the marked con- 
stancy in the seasonal recurrence of many 
species, with their maximum and minimum 
numbers appearing annually within narrow 
time limits—perhaps an adaptation to defi- 
nite temperature conditions ; (2) the con- 
stancy of a spring and fall maximum for 
many species, the latter secondary—these 
maxima indicating perhaps an adaptation 
to the mean temperature of the year; (3) 
the evidence of the extreme variability of 
some of the limnetic forms and the probable 
genetic connection within the season of a 
number of supposed species—as in the case 
of Brachionus bakeri and its related forms 
and of Dinobryon, composite colonies of the 
latter being often found, different portions 
of which are made up of very different 
types of individuals, types which more fre- 
quently will be found in small colonies of 
homogeneous character and which have re- 
ceived various specific names; (4) the 
presence of a minute plankton flora occur- 
ring within about the same seasonal limits 
