INTRODUCTION. [6J 



the income, or exceed it, although the officers of the institution work for 

 almost nothing, the highest salary paid being less than $1,100 a year. 



The branch of activity at the station which appeals more strongly 

 to the public than do the scientific investigations is the preservation 

 of marine animals, particularly invertebrates, for exhibition in museums 

 and for purposes of study. To Oav. Dr. Salvatore Lo Bianco is due 

 the major part of the credit for the success which the station has 

 had in this line of work. Beginning work for the station as an 

 attendant, he soon showed i)eculiar ability in handling the animals 

 which were obtained. He studied their habits, anatomy, and composi- 

 tion carefully, and made many experiments to determine the best, 

 method of killing and preparing each species, so that it would present 

 a lifelike appearance in the exhibition jar, until he succeeded in obtain- 

 ing the beautiful results which have been distributed to museums and 

 colleges all over the world. The animals which are intended for dis- 

 section and study must often be preserved in a different manner from 

 those which are intended for exhibition, and in this line of work, also, 

 the Naples station stands preeminent. An investigator may even send 

 word to have specimens prepared in special ways of his own devising, 

 and thus save himself the trouble of making a trip to Naples. 



One reason for the beautiful appearance of the material sent out by 

 the station is that it is properly caught in the first place; another is 

 that, for the most part, the animals are alive when the process of pres- 

 ervation begins. With many forms it is indispensable that they be 

 alive at the beginning of operations; with some it is not so necessary, 

 but with all it is highly desirable. A fish which has been put into 

 alcohol after death looks entirely different from another specimen of 

 the same species which has been put into the fluid when still alive. 

 The best methods have been determined for each species by itself, 

 different species of the same genus often requiring different handling, 

 hence it is necessary that the operator should be able to recognize the 

 species with which he has to deal in order to obtain the best results. 

 When new species are encountered, the best mode of precedure must 

 be determined by experiment. The experience of the Naples station has 

 been so long and varied, however, that a knowledge of the methods 

 pursued there will be of value to naturalists all over the world. For 

 this reason the writer, with the consent of Professor Dohrn and the 

 consent and cooperation of Dr. Lo Bianco, has undertaken the trans- 

 lation of the latter's "Metodi usati nella Stazione Zoologica per la con- 

 servazione degli animali marini,"^ incorporating therewith the notes 

 made during a stay of five weeks at the station in the autumn of 1897 

 for the express purpose of studying those methods for the benefit of the 

 American Museum of Natural History. It is to be understood that the 

 methods have all been devised by Dr. Lo Bianco, unless otherwise stated. 



Edmund Otis Hovey. 



New York, March, 1899. 



' Mittheilungen a. cl. Zoologischen Station zii'Keapel, Pt. 3, IX, 1890, pp. 435-474. 



