ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY 

 BULLETIN 



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Published by the New York Zoological 5ociei2/4*^nal t^iiSS^ 



Vol XIX. 



MARCH, 1916 



Number 2 



SHALL THE AQUARIUM HAVE A BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY? 



By C. H. TowNSEND. 



THE New York Aquarium is an institution 

 which, by reason of the limitations of the 

 present building, is denied the opportunity 

 of a logical and necessarj^ development. In 

 sjDite of the many improvements in equipment 

 which have been made during the past few j^ears, 

 the number of its exhibition tanks remains exact- 

 ly the same. It is sheer lack of space which 

 prevents development. Plans for a larger build- 

 ing were completed sometime ago, but there is 

 no prospect, in the near future, that funds can 

 be provided for its erection. 



At this moment the vital needs of the Aqua- 

 rium are, several more large exhibition tanks, 

 an exhibiti(m room to be devoted to a collection 

 of small aquaria and a large laboratorj^ The 

 small aquaria are needed for the care of deli- 

 cate forms of aquatic life which it is impossible 

 to exhibit in the large tanks in the main hall. 

 The greatest need is biological laboratories. 



The necessity of the case suggests possible 

 expedients by which the three essential improve- 

 ments might be accomplished. Space for large 

 exhibition tanks could be gained by the removal 

 of the ponderous boilers and pumping machinei'y 

 outside of the walls, thus vacating space equal 

 to one-fourth of that now occupied by exhibits. 



We are assured that it will be impossible to 

 secure funds for an outside pumping plant. 



Space for the laboratories and a hall for the 

 small aquaria may be secured by a moderate 

 outlay, in the construction of a third story across 

 the front of the building. The accompanying 

 illustration suggests the improved exterior effect 

 which the building of this third story would 

 produce. 



The importance of having biological labora- 

 tories at the Aquarium is a matter for serious 

 consideration. Their provision would give the 

 long desired opportunity^ for scientific work. 

 The Aquarium has frequent requests from in- 

 vestigators for assistance in the matters of lab- 

 oratory space and material. It is even now shar- 

 ing its limited office space with a special investi- 

 gator of the United States Bureau of Fisheries. 



The Aquarium should be so equipped that it 

 could take care of investigators in a manner that 

 would be creditable to such an institution. Most 

 of the biological laboratories of the country are 

 open only in summer. A laboratory at the Aqua- 

 rium would be of service throughout the entire 

 year and the solution of problems requiring long 

 experiment would be greatly facilitated. The 

 biological stations of Europe and America are 

 laying the foundations for the scientific cultiva- 

 tion of fishes and other aquatic animals useful 

 to civilization. They occupy a field simliar to 

 that of the agricultural stations. Practical fish 

 and oyster culture have already benefited from 

 the investigations conducted in biological sta- 

 tions by the conservation and increase of the 

 resources of our fresh and salt waters. 



Important pathological studies have long been 

 carried on based entirely on material supplied 

 from the Aquarium. 



There is nearly always at the Aquarium a 

 large amount of material, from both fresh and 

 salt water, available for biological investigation, 

 and the Aquarium's collector could easily secure 

 much more material for special studies than is 

 now brought in. This material is not being 

 utilized scientificallv for lack of facilities for 



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