438 OCEANOGRAPHY, BIONOMICS, AND AQUICULTURE. 



OCEANOGRAPHY. 



Oceanography is the meeting ground of most of the sciences. It 

 deals with botany and zoology, "including animal physiology;" chem- 

 istry, physics, mechanics, meteorology, and geology all contribute, and 

 the subject is of course intimately connected with geography, and has 

 an incalculable influence upon mankind, his distribution, character- 

 istics, commerce, and economics. Thus oceanography, one of the latest 

 developments of marine zoology, extends into the domain of, and ought 

 to find a place in, every one of the sections of the British Association. 



Along with the intense specialization of certain lines of zoology in 

 the last quarter of the nineteenth century, it is important to notice 

 that there are also lines of investigation which require an extended 

 knowledge of, or at least make use of the results obtained from, various 

 distinct subjects. One of these is oceanography, another is bionomics, 

 which I have referred to above, a third is the philosophy of zoology, 

 or all those studies which bear upon the theory of evolution, and a 

 fourth is the investigation of practical fishery problems, which is 

 chiefly an application of marine zoology. Of these four subjects — 

 which, while analytic enough in the detailed investigation of any par- 

 ticular problem, are synthetic in drawing together and making use 

 of the various divergent branches of zoology and the neighboring 

 sciences — oceanography, bionomics, and the fisheries investigation are 

 most closely related, and I desire to devote the remainder of this 

 address to the consideration of some points in connection with their 

 present position. 



Dr. Murray, in a few only too brief paragraphs at the end of his 

 detailed summary of the results of the Challenger expedition, which I 

 have alluded to above, states some of the views, highly suggestive and 

 original, at which he has himself arrived from his unique experience. 

 Some of his conclusions are very valuable contributions to knowledge, 

 which will no doubt be adopted by marine zoologists. Others, I ven- 

 ture to think, are less sound and well founded, and will scarcely stand 

 the test of time and further experience. But for all such statements, or 

 even suggestions, we should be thankful. They do much to stimulate 

 further research; they serve, if they can neither be refuted nor estab- 

 lished, as working hypotheses; and even if they have to be eventually 

 abandoned, we should bear in mind what Darwin has said as to the 

 difference in their influence on science between erroneous facts and 

 erroneous theories: "False facts are highly injurious to the progress 

 of science, for they often endure long; but false views, if supported by 

 some evidence, do little harm, for everyone takes a salutary pleasure in 

 proving their falseness; and when this is done, one path toward error 

 is closed, and the road to truth is often at the same time opened." 

 (Darwin: The Descent of Man, second edition, 1882, p. GOO). 



With all respect for Murray's work, and fully conscious of my own 



