2-55 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



European and Oriental, the Queen and Prince of 

 Wales being chief favourites, judging from the 

 number of pictures of them ; there were also a great 

 many very good old English sporting prints, 

 probably worth a lot of money in England now. 

 After we had been conducted round the palace, we 

 walked to a village on the river bank, where our 

 things had been brought from the garries. Here, by 

 the Tunkoo's orders, were two long native canoes 

 ready for us : we five (as one of our party, an 

 engineer, was looking after his proposed railway), 

 with four Malays, got in the larger one, and our 

 tiffin, sen-ant and two Malays, in the smaller dug- 

 out. We paddled down stream a few hundred 

 yards, and then turned to the right and went up a 

 tributary with the rising tide. This was a most 

 interesting excursion : all along the banks, mile 

 after mile, was the most luxuriant forest, only 

 broken by the little villages of attap-roofed houses 

 built on poles, with peasang trees (banana palms) 

 growing round them ; in many places the trees 

 met overhead. The stream was quite narrow, and 

 time after time we stuck on the bottom or on 



sunken snags, and had to wait for the tide to rise 

 to enable us to get off again and proceed. The 

 heat was most intense, but under the cir- 

 cumstances I did not mind it a bit, and generally 

 the overhanging boughs shaded us. The birds 

 were most lovely and abundant, especially the great 

 red-beaked kingfishers ; monkeys and squirrels also 

 enlivened the trees. We saw three lizards on the 

 stream that day, all Varaxus salvator, a most hand- 

 some reptile when alive and wet, with his strong 

 head, great brown dog-like eyes and sparkling black 

 and yellow uniform. I shot one swimming past us 

 on our way down stream, and fortunatelj- recovered 

 the body with a paddle ; he was a grand fellow, 

 such muscular neck, tail, and limbs, and seven feet 

 nine inches in total length from nose to end of tail. 

 [This fine specimen is now exhibited in the reptile 

 gallery of the British Natural History Museum. — 

 W. H. F.~ At length, we could push, paddle, or 

 persuade the canoe no further, so taking one Malay 

 as guide we got out and walked. 



(To be continued.) 



LIVERPOOL MARINE BIOLOGY COMMITTEE. 



*TpHE Ninth Annual Report of the Liverpool 

 Marine Biology Committee and their Biologi- 

 cal Station at Port Erin, in the Isle of Man, by 

 Professor Herdman, D.Sc, F.R.S., is, as a whole, 

 distinctly encouraging. Considering the energy 

 and ability of the author, who is the director of this 

 useful establishment, we should be led to expect 

 good results from the station. Situated as it is on 

 the ground rendered classic by Edward Forbes, 

 and amidst a rich marine fauna and flora, the only 

 wonder is that its work and opportunities are not 

 better known and appreciated. This Biology Com- 

 mittee has now been at work for some ten years or 

 more, and has been reared under the fostering care 

 of some of the leaders of scientific thought in 

 Liverpool, such as Mr. Isaac Thompson and Pro- 

 fessor Herdman. These investigations are not by 

 any means confined to picturesque Port Erin, 

 but include extensive dredging expeditions in 

 the Irish Channel, northward to the Scotch 

 coast, and south along the coast of Wales. 

 The lists of animals found in these hauls of the 

 dredge or trawl are most instructive and carefully 

 reported. Great care has been exercised to 

 ascertain not only the species brought up to the 

 surface, but also the number of individuals. For 

 instance, on July 23rd, at the mouth of the Mersey, 

 on very unfavourable ground, the trawl, after being 

 down one hour, brought up seventeen thousand 

 specimens. This was by no means a record catch 



as Professor Herdman mentions other drafts in 

 Liverpool Bay containing the enormous number of 

 from 45,000 to 50,000 specimens, not including 

 microscopic forms. There is quite a long list of 

 additions to the Liverpool marine fauna, which is 

 far exceeded by the interesting captures of species 

 already recorded. 



A goodly list is given of naturalists who have 

 used the Port Erin Biological Laboratory ; some 

 of whom made lengthened stays. The curator, 

 Mr. J. C. Summer, has devoted much attention to 

 the equipment of the station, which is now well up 

 to the necessary standard. Among the more 

 important work executed has been a series of 

 experiments, by Professors Boyce, and Herdman, 

 upon oysters, in view of investigating their 

 connection with diseases. Great effort has been 

 made to establish, adjoining the laboratory, a sea- 

 fish hatchery. The committee have offered to place 

 the advantages of the aquarium and laboratory at 

 the disposal of any responsible body who will start 

 such an interesting adventure. The site is 

 exceptionally well situated for such a hatcher}-, and 

 it is to be hoped someone will come forward to 

 help. As yet, the general public have not 

 appeared in overcrowding numbers to view the 

 most interesting family in the tanks, and the 

 numbers given are only small when we remember 

 the immense crowds who visit the island every 

 summer. 



