MARINE BIOLOGICAL STATION AT PORT ERIN. 27 



Biological Station were, first, to aflord opportunity to the 

 younger biologists and students of the neighbourhood of 

 becoming acquainted with marine animals and plants, alive, 

 and in their natural conditions, and of learning how to investi- 

 gate a fauna and how to conduct marine research in general ; 

 and, secondly, to procure supplies of material of the various 

 groups of animals required by the specialists who were engaged 

 in working up the fauna and flora of Liverpool Bay. During 

 the early years most attention was directed towards the second 

 of these functions, and all the earlier reports of the Committee 

 will be found to record additions to the known lists in most 

 groups of animals. Of late years, however, since about 1896, 

 the Committee and their Curator at the later Port Erin Bio- 

 logical Station have paid more attention to promoting the 

 higher education of University students and research which is 

 not purely faunistic. 



A prominent feature of the work of the Committee in 

 these early years was the series of dredging expeditions lasting 

 for several days at a time in the " Hyaena " or other steamer 

 lent for the purpose by the Liverpool Salvage Association. 

 In May, 1888, for example, a three days' cruise was undertaken 

 to the Isle of Man, the first day being spent between Liverpool 

 and Ramsey, the second in working along the coast of the 

 Isle of Man between Ramsey and Port Erin, and the third in 

 returning to Liverpool. On this occasion the Committee made 

 some acquaintance with the rich fauna around the south end 

 of the Isle of Man, and this may be regarded as the first step 

 towards the migration from Puffin Island to Port Erin, which 

 was effected four years later. It was on this occasion, while 

 anchored at night in Ramsey Bay, and again the following 

 night in Port Erin Bay, that the Committee successfully used 

 bottom and surface tow-nets containing submarine electric 

 lamps, and captured by this means much larger numbers of 

 certain free-swimming Crustacea than were obtained from 



