March 3, 1916] 



SCIENCE 



303 



and pathology in general have been stimu- 

 lated and enriched as the result of their 

 labors. Leo Loeb 



Department op Comparative Pathology, 

 "Washington University 



THE UNITED STATES FISHERIES BIO- 

 LOGICAL STATION AT BEAUFORT, 



N. C, DURING 1914 AND 1915 

 The laboratory of the U. S. Pisheries Bio- 

 logical Station at Beaufort, N. C, has been 

 open for investigators each summer for the 

 past seventeen years. Below is given a brief 

 summary of the various activities of the sta- 

 tion during the years 1914 and 1915. 



The many improvements and repairs ef- 

 fected during the past two years have con- 

 tributed materially to the appearance of the 

 small island on which the station is located, 

 and to the working efBciency of the laboratory. 

 The grounds were graded and covered with a 

 coat of black top soil in which grass was 

 planted and grown with success. An addi- 

 tional breakwater was built, the terrapin 

 pounds were enlarged, and a fish pool and tide 

 pool were constructed. The cedar post foun- 

 dation of the main building was replaced by 

 brick piers, the old coal house was rebuilt into 

 a boat house, connected with marine boat 

 ways, and a new coal bin connected with the 

 power house was constructed. About 338 

 square feet of concrete walks were laid. 

 Porches were constructed across the ends and 

 south side of the dormitory rooms. These 

 added much to the appearance of the building 

 arid the comfortableness of the bed chambers. 

 A library room and a small laboratory have 

 been provided on the lower floor of the main 

 building. The power house has been equipped 

 with a salt-water pump of such ample dimen- 

 sions that the 10,000-gallon salt-water tank 

 can be filled in about one seventh of the time 

 previously required, with a consequent saving 

 in labor and fuel. A new projection and 

 micro-photographic apparatus was added to 

 the laboratory equipment. 



Under the direction of the librarian of the 

 central office of the Bureau the library has 

 been systematically arranged and catalogued. 



The number of volumes has been increased 

 by both purchase and voluntary contributions 

 of publications on biological subjects from 

 various authors and institutions. 



Most of the investigators who were em- 

 ployed during the past two years had been 

 with the laboratory before, and continued lines 

 of work begun previously. Professor H. V. 

 Wilson, of the University of North Carolina, 

 was at the laboratory for a short time dur- 

 ing both summers. He continued the study 

 and identification of the Albatross-Philippine 

 sponge collection. Nearly all the forms 

 studied differ in more or less important re- 

 spects from described forms and most of them 

 will be published as new species or varieties. 



Dr. S. O. Mast, of Johns Hopkins Univer- 

 sity, was with the laboratory during the sum- 

 mer of 1914 and continued his studies of the 

 previous season on the changes in shades, color 

 and patterns in fishes, with especial reference 

 to the flounders, Paralichthys and Ancylop- 

 setta. He also made some observations on the 

 behavior of Fundulus majalis in tide pools. 



Dr. Mast was unable to demonstrate that 

 adaptation to background in the above-named 

 flounders has any biological value. Experi- 

 ments, however, indicate that there is in 

 flounders a tendency to select bottoms which 

 harmonize with their skin in color as well as 

 in shade. It was also shown that flounders 

 do not compare their skin with the bottom in 

 the process of adaptation, but that this is regu- 

 lated solely by the effect of light received by 

 the eyes from above and by its reflection from 

 the bottom. The results of Dr. Mast's work 

 also indicate that the fusion rate of images on 

 the retina for flounders and for man is the 

 same. 



With reference to the behavior of Fundulus 

 majalis. Dr. Mast's observations indicate that 

 this fish has a sense of direction probably some- 

 what similar to certain birds. It was noticed 

 many times that when a school of these fish 

 was left in a tide pool as the water fell 

 they left the pool and crossed a sand bar, con- 

 tinuing their flops toward the sea until water 

 was reached, and seldom making the mistake of 

 coming out on the wrong side of the pool. 



