No. 4o1.] MARINE BIOLOGY AT BEAUFORT. 359 
A year ago the director of the Geological Natural History Sur- 
vey of North Carolina represented to the U. S. Commissioner 
of Fish and Fisheries, Hon. George M. Bowers, how desirable 
it was for the material development of the marine fisheries that 
some step be taken toward providing a headquarters, where 
continuous observations might be made on the natural history 
of the fauna of the south Atlantic coast, and how suitable the 
town of Beaufort was for such a purpose. In May Dr. H. 
M. Smith, in charge of the Division of Scientific Inquiry, 
announced (Sczence, Vol. IX, No. 227) the decision of the 
Commission to maintain, during the summer, at Beaufort, a 
laboratory for the prosecution of researches in marine biology. 
A suitable building was rented, and a proper equipment, includ- 
ing small boats, steam launch, dredges, trawl, etc., was pro- 
vided. The laboratory was occupied from June 1 to September 
15. A dozen naturalists were there, representing the Johns 
Hopkins University, University of Alabama, Baldwin Univer- 
sity, Trinity College (N. C.), Guilford College, University of 
North Carolina. Mention has already been made of the fact 
that, in addition to the individual research work, considerable 
attention was paid to the accumulation of data on the local habi- 
tat, breeding times, etc., of the more abundant species of the 
region. The laboratory building is rented continuously, and 
the equipment and collections are stored there. The labora- 
tory will reopen for work in June. As at Woods Holl, no 
charge is made to the occupants of tables. 
While the temporary laboratory now organized at Beaufort 
answers many needs, it is greatly to be desired that a perma- 
nent Fish Commission station be established there. A bill 
providing the necessary appropriation for such a station is 
now before Congress. The policy of maintaining Fish Com- 
mission stations, at which ample opportunity is offered for sci- 
entific investigation, has been fully justified by the history of 
the station at Woods Holl. The results of the purely volun- 
tary researches of the naturalists who have annually visited 
this station are of the highest value. In no way can the 
Fish Commission accumulate useful information concerning the 
animal and plant life of a region, so rapidly and at so little 
