876.] 



President's Address, 



353 



of closely allied forms, requmng in many cases great care and skill to 

 determine what among them should be regarded as types of species, 

 and what as local or accidental forms of one species. - 



In the collection of the abyssal fauna, Sponges and Echinodermata 

 predominate ; and Sir C. Wyville Thomson expects that at least one half 

 of these consists of undescribed and newly discovered species — an opinion 

 in which he is fortified by competent judges who have inspected the col- 

 lection. Crustacea, Annelida, and Polyzoa are also well represented, and 

 are to a great extent of new and remarkable forms. Fishes are numerous, 

 but are for the most part referable to families already made known by the 

 memoirs of the late Eev. E. Lowe on the Fishes of Madeira. 



All the specimens have been preserved in such a way that they can 

 be investigated anatomically in every detail ; and those who visited the 

 biological laboratories on board the ship at Sheerness, and saw the extent 

 and nature of the appliances for the preservation of soft animals of all 

 sorts, may readily understand how rich a harvest awaits the reapers who 

 have sown so diligently. 



Considering how liberal has been the action of the Grovernment 

 hitherto, there cannot be a doubt of Sir "Wyville Thomson's being placed 

 in a position that will enable him to superintend the publication of the 

 results of this Expedition on a scale and with a completeness commen- 

 surate with their value and worthy of the nation. An unequalled oppor- 

 tunity is now afforded him of investigating the phenomena of migration, 

 variation, of the first appearance, succession, multiplication, and extinction 

 of forms belonging to many orders of the animal kingdom — and this 

 over areas so extensive that they may be regarded as, in a certain sense, 

 the equivalents of geological periods. Eor this purpose it appears essen- 

 tial that the collections should be kept together under the eyes of the 

 naturalists who formed them, until every species and variety has had 

 attached to it all the details respecting its habitat and environing condi- 

 tions that were obtained when it was collected ; otherwise the primary 

 object of the Expedition will be frustrated. 



It may appear superfluous to suppose that any other course would be 

 possible under the circumstances ; but that it is not so is proved by the 

 fact that, many and important as have been the collections made during 

 voyages of discovery and survey which have been dispatched from our 

 shores and brought to Eugland, there is absolutely not one of them, from 

 the days of Cook to the present time, of which, so to speak, any thing 

 like the whole material has been published. True enough, this has in 

 some cases been attributable to a want of energy on the naturalists' parts; 

 but it has far more frequently been due to the parsimony or indifference of 

 the Grovernment. which has refused the opportunity of study, or the means 

 of publication, or both. 



Before leaving this subject, I must mention the endeavour of our Eellow, 

 Mr. Sorby, to determine the nature of the Red Clays of the ocean-bottom, 



2 c2 



