ANNIVERSARY ADDRESS. 17 
that the well-known Russian naturalist, Baron Maclay, has for 
two or three years been endeavouring to establish a Zoological 
Station in the neighbourhood of Sydney. He has so far succeeded 
in his efforts that an eligible site at Watson’s Bay has been 
obtained from the Government, and considerable progress has 
been made with the building upon that site. The Government 
has also liberally engaged to double the subscriptions up to £300; 
but the necessary sum of £300 has not yet been made up, and 
what I have to ask of you to-night is to help to make it up, so 
that the corresponding sum may be claimed from the Treasury. I 
am assured by Baron Maclay, that for £600 the building can be 
fitted for use—not well fitted certainly—and more would have to 
be done afterwards ; but it is thought that when the public utility 
of the ‘establishment is proved, there may be less difficulty in 
getting further contributions towards perfecting the arrangements. 
I must, however, say at once that it is my hope and expectation 
that the Royal Society will not only assist in completing the 
' building in the first instance, but that they will agree to devote a 
fixed sum annually towards its future support. 
It may, however, be asked by those not familiar with the idea 
of a zoological station, what claims it has on a Society like ours. 
An answer to that will involve some account of the purpose of 
such stations, and what has been done in them in other parts of the 
world. Ina paper read before the Linnean Society of New South 
Wales, by Baron Maclay, in 1878, he defines a zoological station 
as “a laboratory established for conducting investigations in 
Anatomy, Embryology, Histology, and if possible, Physiology as 
well.” As plants as well as animals may be thus investigated, the 
Baron would prefer the name “Biological Laboratory” to that 
hitherto in use, He points out that ‘ most scientifie travellers 
have hitherto devoted their time and energies to collecting, and 
that often in the field of several sciences,” and thinks that “the 
time has arrived when this method should be abandoned, and that 
in place of mere collecting, the great aim of travel should be 
observation and investigation, exercised immediately and upon the 2 
spot.” He recounts his own experience in different parts of the 
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