June 1, 1SS3.1 



SCIENCE. 



479 



to be accounted for, — facts, possibly,- best ex- 

 plained on the supposition of a greater sub- 

 sidence of the western as compared with the 

 eastern regions leading to submergence of the 

 plains under water sufficiently deep to carrj- 

 icebergs of large size. 



George M. Dawson. 



Geol. survey of Canada, Ottawa, 

 April 10, 18S3. 



THE NAPLES ZOOLOGICAL STATION. 



I. 



For half a centurj' past, Naples has been 

 ■the favorite resort of the zoologists of Europe 



Dr. Anton Dohrn, in his voyages to the 

 Mediterranean to carrj' out bis researches, 

 experienced, as others had done, grave diffi- 

 culties which he could not, single-handed, over- 

 come. To realize the conditions necessarj- for 

 extensive arid thorough work requires not 

 onlj' a large expenditure of money and time, 

 but a permanent and growing institution, 

 which provides all the instruments of research 

 in a localit}' where nature furnishes in abun- 

 dance and variety the material to be studied. 

 To carry on biological work on a large scale 

 in as many directions as possible, with a thor- 

 oughly' equipped laboratorj-, permitting inves- 

 tigators' to applj- to their researches the most 



on account of the wealth of the fauna of the 

 neighboring waters. But the independent ef- 

 forts of solitarj' naturalists were naturally 

 unable to secure all the advanfages for science 

 which could be gained by suitable organization. 

 Two old fishermen, who, forty years ago, were 

 turned aside from fishing for the market, and 

 trained to collect for science hy Johannes 

 Miiller, are still at work in the gulf, not now 

 alone, but with a dozen other men, collecting 

 with dredges, nets, hooks, and seaphandra, 

 material for nearly thirty iu\'estigators, study- 

 iiig with all the resources of a completely 

 organized laboratory in the zoological station. 



elaborate technical processes, and to make use 

 of the best modern methods, with all the 

 material that these rich southern regions can 

 supply, all the help that may be had from a 

 well-furnished library, all the aid that can 

 be obtained from well-trained attendants and 

 subordinates, and all the stimulus and assist- 

 ance that consciously and unconsciously' comes 

 from the intercourse of manj' minds giving 

 their best powers to the same work, — this is 

 the aim of the zoological station. To this 

 object Dr. Dohrn has devoted the last fifteen 

 3-ears of his life, making even his own impor- 

 tant researches a secondarj- consideration ; 



