April 24, 1903.] 



SCIENCE. 



659 



" In general I think that the establishment of 

 a tropical station is highly desirable, but I must 

 confess that, so far as I am personally concerned, 

 or so far as any of my students are concerned, 

 it is not probable that we would be able to make 

 any practical use of a station at the Tortugas. 

 The one great objection to the Tortugas as the site 

 for a station is its relative inaccessibility. One 

 other objection has occurred to me, namely, that 

 the fauna is exclusively marine, whereas by loca- 

 ting a station on some one of the larger islands — 

 for example, Jamaica — it might be possible to 

 have a considerable tropical land fauna as well 

 as marine fauna. I have never visited the 

 Tortugas and can not speak from experience as 

 to whether the advantages there offered entirely 

 overcome the objections I speak of. If so, the 

 station ought to be located there irrespective of 

 these objections. If, however, similar advan- 

 tages can be found, say on the island of Jamaica, 

 I should myself prefer to see such a station es- 

 tablished at that point." 



E. G. CONKLIN. 



" The proposition to establish a marine labora- 

 tory on the Tortugas Islands certainly has much 

 to commend it, and so far as the fauna of the Gulf 

 Stream is concerned, probably, as you suggest, no 

 better station in the West Indies could be chosen. 



" The advantages of small islands in affording 

 immunity from tropical diseases are no doubt 

 considerable, yet it must be remembered that a 

 greater land area and a more diversified coast add 

 intensely to the interest of students who go to 

 the tropics for zoological or botanical studies. 



" I hope that the attempt to inaugurate a trop- 

 ical marine laboratory will become a national 

 one, and that before any site is definitely chosen- 

 a thorough zoological reconnaissance will be made 

 of the larger islands, particularly of Porto Rico, 

 on its southern shore. The future may see the 

 establishment of a large central station with one 

 or more subordinate ones. In any case you have 

 advanced the idea by setting forth the strong 

 claims of the Tortugas, and I hope that the zoolo- 

 gists of America will take up the question in 

 earnest." 



Francis H. Heerick. 



" The plan to have a laboratory in the Caribbean 

 region is excellent. It is something we have long 

 needed. What you say concerning the favorable 

 character of the Dry Tortugas would lead one to 

 think this an exceptionally good location, but this 

 is a point that requires very careful and thorough 

 consideration. It would be well to look to the 



fate of laboratories established on small islands 

 and in other out-of-the-way places. We have the 

 Anderson Laboratory on Penekese as a horrible 

 example. A marine laboratory should be in touch 

 with the rest of the world. Perhaps the Tortugas 

 fulfill this condition; but the land fauna is to be 

 considered. In a region like the Caribbean es- 

 pecially it is no less important than that of the 

 sea. Insular forms are in constant danger of ex- 

 tinction; hence it is incumbent upon us of this 

 generation to give them as much study as we can. 

 It is doubtful whether the Tortugas or even the 

 Bahamas offer so good a site as the Greater or 

 even the Lesser Antilles, from this point of view." 

 Herbert P. Johnson. 



" Never having been there, I can not speak of 

 the place as a desirable residence, nor of the 

 facility for going and coming, which are of course 

 very important considerations for students and 

 scientific men, but my impression has been that 

 it was rather expensive going there from the 

 north, and not a very agreeable climate except 

 perhaps in the coldest months. As for the marine 

 fauna there, I can speak in the highest terms of 

 its richness and variety, for I have studied the 

 fauna of that region for many years. There can 

 be no question as to the excellence of the place 

 for obtaining abundant material of all kinds of 

 marine life. Perhaps the very richness of the 

 fauna would be embarrassing to many. My own 

 preference would be Bermuda, probably because 

 I have become familiar with that locality. The 

 fauna there is less rich, of course, but the climate, 

 especially in the spring and early summer months, 

 is more favorable for work and study, being more 

 temperate, and I suppose it is easier and con- 

 siderably cheaper to go there. Perhaps the social 

 conditions, also, are superior in Bermuda. There 

 would be no lack of materials in either place, and 

 a biological station in either place would be of 

 great value to the progress of science." 



A. E. Veeeill. 



" I am in hearty sympathy with the attempt to 

 establish a station in the Tortugas, although I 

 think Jamaica would be a better place for a 

 tropical station. One of the most important con- 

 siderations is accessibility, and in this respect 

 Jamaica has the advantage. Whatever place is 

 selected, some way should be planned to reduce 

 the traveling expenses to a minimum. This would 

 be, I think, an important element in the success 

 of a distant station." 



T. H. MOEQAN. 



