SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXIII. No. 861 



paeity of the salt-water tank has for several 

 years made it necessary to pump water from 

 the harbor at times when it was unsuited for 

 experimental work. It is possible that a tank 

 of 30,000 gallons capacity will be erected. 



The library was increased by the addition 

 of a number of publications and by the re- 

 ceipt of reprints, the latter in many cases con- 

 tributed by the authors. 



The work on the mollusean fauna, noted in 

 the report for last year,' was continued. The 

 laboratory now has a nearly complete collec- 

 tion of the lamellibranchs of Beaufort cor- 

 rectly identified and labeled for study and 

 reference. The collection includes a number 

 of species collected some distance off-shore by 

 the Fisheries Steamer Fish HawTc. The iden- 

 tifications were either made or verified by Dr. 

 Wm. H. Dall, of the National Museum. Some 

 progress on the gastropods of the region was 

 made along similar lines. 



The experimental work on the culture of 

 the diamond-back terrapin was continued and 

 considerable success was attained. About 270 

 young terrapins were hatched during the sea- 

 son, and at the close of the year the whole 

 stock was in a thriving condition. A por- 

 tion of the terrapins hatched during 1909 

 showed excellent growth during 1910. Prepa- 

 rations were begun to enlarge the scope of the 

 work, which will include the construction of 

 two additional concrete pounds. These 

 pounds will be of permanent service to the 

 laboratory for numerous lines of scientific 

 work, in case they can be spared for other 

 than the original purposes. As these pounds 

 are supplied with fresh sea water at each 

 high tide they would make excellent vivariums 

 for keeping marine animals under nearly 

 natural conditions, and they would at the 

 same time be subject to control. The terrapin 

 work has been under the general direction of 

 Professor W. P. Hay, of Washington, D. C. 



In cooperation with the TJ. S. Weather 

 Bureau a daily record of the maximum and 

 minimum temperatures and of the rain-fall, 

 as well as of other miscellaneous meteorolog- 

 ical phenomena, has been kept. This work 



1 Science, May 6, 1910. 



has been carried on without interruption 

 since the summer of 1905. Some attention 

 was given to the cultivation of the oyster in 

 Pamlico and Core Sounds. An inquiry was 

 also made in regard to the character of fossil 

 remains excavated during the process of con- 

 struction of the new canal connecting Beau- 

 fort Harbor with the Neuse River. 



The facilities of the laboratory were util- 

 ized by a number of investigators, either for 

 independent research or for the scientific 

 work of the bureau. They have kindly fur- 

 nished abstracts of their work, which are in- 

 cluded herewith. 



Professor H. V. Wilson, of the University 

 of North Carolina, carried on an investiga- 

 tion for the bureau dealing especially with 

 the regenerative power of the tissues in 

 hydroids. Professor Wilson had shovm that 

 when the tissues of certain sponges are 

 forcibly broken up into their constituent 

 cells, the cells will re-unite and form plas- 

 modial masses which differentiate into per- 

 fect sponges. It seemed desirable to learn 

 whether this power was possessed by the tis- 

 sues of other aquatic forms. The investiga- 

 tion showed that hydroid tissues have this 

 power. 



Experiments were conducted on two hy- 

 droids, Pennaria tiarella MeCrady and Eu- 

 drendrium carneum Clarke. The phenomena 

 were essentially the same in the two forms. 

 The cells and small cell masses into which 

 the hydroid flesh is broken up reunite and 

 form masses, the size of which is in a meas- 

 ure under control. These secrete a perisare. 

 As compared with the corresponding masses 

 in certain sponges they are subject to great 

 mortality. Some survive and after a few days 

 give rise to hydranths with the character- 

 istics of the species. 



The inquiry was extended to learn what 

 power of fusion lies in the forcibly separated 

 cells of the alcyonarian, Leptogorgia, and in 

 those of the immature gonad in Asterias. In 

 each case active fusion goes on between the 

 cells and cell lumps into which the flesh has 

 been broken up, and masses are obtained 

 which acquire a smooth surface. These were 



