656 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XVII. No. 434. 



Carnegie Institution. Were such an appli- 

 cation to be made, it would appear that it 

 should be national in character and that 

 it should aiiii to secure a laboratory under 

 conditions which will meet with the entire 

 approbation of our leading naturalists. 

 and which will be visited by an able and 

 numerous clientage. The Carnegie Institu- 

 tion being national in scope, is the only one 

 in the country which may hope to secure 

 completely this combination of happy aus- 

 pices, should it decide to establish such a 

 laboratory. 



In order to determine the sentiment of 

 the country concerning the advisability of 

 establishing such a laboratory, letters were 

 sent to leading zoologists of the United 

 States and Canada. Similar letters might 

 also have been sent to the marine botanists, 

 but it appeared probable that the general 

 consensus of opinion concerning the proper 

 situation and advisability of establishment 

 of such a laboratory could be gleaned from 

 the replies of the zoologists alone. 



These letters read as follows: 



An expression of opinion by leading biologists 

 concerning the advisability or inadvisability of 

 establishing a marine biological laboratory for 

 research at the Tortugas, Florida, or at some 

 other station in the American tropics, will be 

 gratefully received by the imdersigned. No 

 definite steps leading to the establishment of such 

 a station should be undertaken until the con- 

 sensus of opinion and the desires of the leading 

 workers in biology have been ascertained. 



Do you approve or disapprove of the plan of 

 establishing a laboratory for research in marine 

 fciology at the Tortugas? 



If not, what alternative would you suggest? 



If established would the station be of any prao- 

 ■tical service to you, to your colleagues, or to your 

 •students ? 



Criticisms as well as commeijdations of the 

 ■plan are equally desired, and both will be pub- 

 lished and discussed in a judicial manner in some 

 leading journal of science. 



As the replies may be numerous, it is desirable 

 Tthat each should be brief. Your letter may be 

 .addressed to the undersigned at the Museum of 



the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences, East- 

 ern Parkway, Brooklyn. 



Replies were received from the follow- 

 ing forty-three zoologists: M. A. Bigelow, 

 Chapman, Conklin, Dall, Davenport, Dean, 

 Dodge, Edwards, Evermann, Gill, Hargitt, 

 Herrick, L. 0. Howard, Jennings, H. P. 

 Johnson, D. S. Jordan, V. L. Kellogg, 

 Kingsley, Lillie, Lucas, MacBride, Mc- 

 Murrich, Metcalf, Mills, Minot, Montgom- 

 ery, Morgan, Neal, Nutting, Ortmann, G. 

 H. Parker, Rathbun, Ritter, Sedgwick, 

 Springer, R. M. Strong, Treadwell, Ver- 

 rill, H. B. Ward and four others whose 

 names we are not at liberty to reveal. 



All expressed the hope that a well-sup- 

 ported marine laboratory for research 

 might be established in the tropical At- 

 lantic. 



Twenty zoologists expressed the opinion 

 that the Tortugas, Florida, would be the 

 best situation for such a laboratory. 

 Among these at least twelve have been 

 upon one or more expeditions to various 

 parts of the American tropical Atlantic. 



Sixteen zoologists expressed the hope 

 that a station might be established some- 

 where in the tropical Atlantic, but were 

 non-committal concerning the best locality. 

 Only three of these sixteen are known to 

 have been upon any expedition to the 

 American tropics. 



Seven favored localities other than the 

 Tortugas. Four of these preferred the 

 Antilles,* two the Gulf coast of the United 

 States, and one the Bermudas. All of 

 these seven have been upon expeditions to 

 the tropical Atlantic. 



Recapitulating, we see, that of the 

 twenty-two who have been upon expedi- 

 tions to the tropical Atlantic, twelve favor 

 the Tortugas, three are non-committal, 

 four prefer the Antilles, and one the Ber- 

 mudas. It is apparent that among those 

 who can speak from personal experience 



* Jamaica Avas specified by two. 



