96 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. VIII. No. 186. 



witli a result he can not verify, has some- 

 what the function in his education of the 

 puzzle in our society amusements or the 

 game of sliced animals in the nursery. 



J. Mark Baldwin. 

 Peinceton. 



TEE WORK AT THE BIOLOGICAL LABORA- 

 TORY OF THE U. S. FISH COMMISSION 



AT WOODS HOLL. 

 Three months ago the United States 

 Fish Commission announced that its Bio- 

 logical Laboratory would be reopened ; that 

 it would be equipped for investigation ; that 

 men of science would be welcome, and that 

 every effort would be made to collect all 

 needed material, and to furnish, within cer- 

 tain limits, all necessary instruments and ap- 

 paratus for research. The Station is the 

 most extensive plant for the study of marine 

 life and practical fish-culture in the world. 

 There are four buildings : The Hatchery, 

 Laboratory and Aquarium ; the Eesidence ; 

 the Shops and Store House ; and the Power 

 House. It is in possession of a small fleet 

 of steam and sailing vessels, and by special 

 enactment the officers are empowered to 

 use, at their discretion, any means for the 

 capture of fish or other marine organisms. 

 The Commission has refurnished the Bi- 

 ological Ijaboratory and added ten new 

 rooms for research. It has equipped a 

 laboratory for physiology. It has pur- 

 chased a bacteriological outfit, and a 

 creditable library of biology and fish- 

 culture has been installed. Two steam 

 launches and the schooner Grampus have 

 been attached to the Station, several fine- 

 mesh seines, trawls and tow-nets have 

 been purchased, and a large fish- trap has 

 been placed at a favorable locality. 



From the day of the opening of the 

 laboratory, April 1st, several tables have 

 been continuously occupied, and, at the 

 present time, the scientific force numbers 

 twenty-four. Several have expressed the 

 desire of extending their work during the 



autumn and winter months, and it is pro- 

 posed to keep the laboratory open through- 

 out the year. 



The Commission does not attempt to in- 

 struct or to dictate as to what lines of re- 

 search are to be pursued, how the work 

 shall be carried ou, or where the results 

 shall be published. It is convinced that all 

 lines of biological research are indirectly, 

 if not also directly, helpful to its more im- 

 mediately practical work, and it happens 

 that fully one-half of the investigators are 

 now busy with problems bearing directly 

 upon the anatomy, embryology, phj'siology 

 and pathology of fish. The large corps of 

 collaborators has made it possible to secure 

 definite data respecting the breeding habits 

 of many marine forms. The floating- fauna 

 has been systematically examined; valuable 

 information has been gained respecting the 

 larval life of the star-fish, the develop- 

 mental stages of the clam, the rate of 

 growth of the scallops, the causes of mor- 

 tality of lobster fry, and the pathogenic 

 bacteria infesting fish. 



With the cooperation of the Marine Bi- 

 ological Laboratory, it is proposed to make 

 a series of sjmchronous observations on the 

 temperature and floating fauna of Vineyard 

 Sound. The combined vessels of the two 

 laboratories provide a sufficiently large 

 fleet to make these observations of special 

 interest. It is also proposed to resume 

 again the deep-sea work begun by the Com- 

 mission many years ago, though the tem- 

 porary use of the Fish Hawk by the United 

 States navy will prevent the work from 

 being undertaken the present season. 



H. C. BuMPUS. 



ZOOLOGICAL NOTES. 



PUBLICATIONS OF THE AMEEICAN MUSEUM 

 OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



The Eeport of the American Museum of 

 Natural History, New York, for 1897, re- 



