172 



NATURAL SCIENCE NEWS. 



PENIKESE — A Reminiscence. 



By One of its Pupils. 



Copyright secured 189f. 



was the fortunate possessor of the only live one. It 

 was found stranded upon the beach, one morning 

 after a severe storm, in a nearly perished condition. 

 How it survived the storm, the rocks and sand of 

 the beach, and the amount of handling which it un- 

 derwent in being transferred to a pail or fresh sea 

 water, thence to my aquarium, I cannot well under- 

 stand; yet it lived, and threw off a whole tank full of 

 young, which went paddling around everywhere, of 

 their own free will, "as happy as clams at high 

 water. " 



This is only one of the many things which occupy 

 our attention. Nearly every aquarium presents some- 

 thing of interest to study, and every moment of our 

 time is fully occupied. Among the animals in some 

 of the other aquariums are: both species of our com- 

 mon stickleback, the sea mullet, several kinds of peri- 

 conikles, and both the large and the small hermit 

 crabs, which, as they peer cautiously out of their 

 shells, or travel rapidly about with their curious side- 

 long gait, resemble, somewhat, minute, full-grown 

 lobsters — and amuse us all highly. There is some 

 talk of setting up a small windmill, that the supply 

 of water for our tanks may be regulated with some 

 degree of certainty, as necessity requires that it 

 should be. Our '-finds" can then be all properly 

 cared for, and fresh water constantly furnished for 

 them, as is not now the case. Otherwise, we shall be 

 obliged to continue bringing in the water in pails and 

 letting it carefully into the tanks through rubber tub- 

 ing, which is now provided for that purpose. Thus 

 our general laboratory work, and plans for its further- 

 ance, progress as well as one could possibly expect 

 with the limited means at our command. 



While the students study hard during the day time, 

 they amuse themselves, in the evening, by strolling 

 about the island, sitting upon the balconies and en- 

 joying the delicious evening air and fresh, sea breezes, 

 or rowing or sailing over the cool, restless waters round 

 about the island. On Wednesday and Friday even- 

 ings Professor Meyer gives us delightful lectures up- 

 on sound and hearing, — illustrating his experiments 

 with the excellent and costly instruments brought 

 with him from the Stevens' Institute, Hoboken, New 

 Jersey, from which place the genial professor himself 

 hails. His lectures, though not compulsory, are at- 

 tended by everybody, both old and young, and the 

 lecturer is as great a favorite as what he tells us is in- 

 teresting and instructive. 



Occasionally we have lectures upon the lower forms 

 of animal life, by a Professor Barnard — a rising young 

 naturalist, who enters quite deeply into the subject. 

 We have quite thorough descriptions of all the lower 

 forms both of animals and vegetables, — but more 

 especially the former: those whose structure is that 

 of a simple, proto-plasmic mass, without any definite 

 form, or without (at times, apparently,) even the lit- 

 tle nucleus or life cell which is possessed by almost 

 every animal in existence. Lectures upon these sub- 

 jects are of the highest importance to those engaged 

 in microscopic work and study. One is often com- 

 pletely at a loss how to make the best use of the 

 material at one's command, without a thorough 

 knowledge of just these very minute organisms; and 

 what a field for microscopic investigation they un- 

 fold. 



Among the rare captures, which have been made 



during the week, mostly from the contents of the 

 "pounds," several of which are located in various 

 places in the water not far from our island, and out 

 of which fishes and other marine animals are brought 

 to the school several times each week, are quite a rare 

 species of the skate fish, a specimen of the thrasher 

 shark, and several other species of fishes interesting, 

 especially, for dissection. The students have already 

 made abundant alcoholic dissections of the common 

 ground shark — a small animal of the shark family, 

 about three and a half or four feet in length, which is 

 a very great nuisance to the fisherman; of the com- 

 mon skate; and of the flounder or "flat fish," as we 

 were wont to call it when we were boys. In these 

 the various organs and systems have been traced out, 

 and are shown in a most perfect and beautiful man- 

 ner. The work in this department is going forward 

 under the direction of Professor Putnam. 



A few of our students are particularly interested in 

 the minute dissection and study of animals of the 

 molluscous order. These are guided by Professor 

 Morse, who is assisted by Mr. Brooks, who evidently 

 knows nearly as much about the subject as the profes- 

 sor himself, and whose beautiful preparations are the 

 wonder of all who behold them. 



A number of large diagrams have been prepared, 

 with great skill and labor, for the use especially of 

 beginners, illustrating the complete anatomy, as fine- 

 ly as it can well be rendered on paper, of the leading 

 animals in each group of the animal kingdom; these 

 have been hung about the walls of the laboratories in 

 the-most artistic manner, and present quite an impos- 

 ing effect as well as being very useful. 



The latter part of this month Professor Packard is 

 expected to arrive. He will give instruction in ento- 

 mology and the crustacean and coorne families, and 

 take charge of the dredging expeditions. Some very 

 interesting fames in these departments appear to be 

 quite abundant in our locality, — both on the shores of 

 the island and in the deeper waters farther off, where 

 they are being constantly brought up by the dredge. 

 As many of the fames are microscopic, a most prom- 

 ising field will, without doubt, open to the investiga- 

 tors and investigatresses who shall enter therein. 



Among the great days upon the island is mail day. 

 This occurs whenever the steamer, or any other water 

 conveyance, brings the mail bag: generally twice a 

 week. One has but to say: the mail has come.' and 

 immediately everything is in commotion. Everybody 

 stops work. No one can think of dissections, lec- 

 tures, or drawings, at such a time. Professors and 

 pupils, all, flock to the lecture-room, where the bag 

 is opened and the letters and papers distributed. 

 Newspapers are a much coveted article with us, 

 though we none of us have any too much time to de- 

 vote to them; and each paper goes the rounds of 

 everyone on the island until it returns to its owner 

 literally, as the school-boy said: "black, and white, 

 and red," (read,) "all over." 



Our work obliges us all to be early risers at Peni- 

 kese, and I shall not soon forget the self-contented 

 grin of delight with which Cuffy — our small, black, 

 table-boy — armed with an immense tin horn, nearly 

 or quite a foot in length, and such an one as would 

 have delighted the heart of the most fastidious of col- 

 lege Sophomores, used to rush down the walk to the 

 dormitories, and proceed to awaken the sleepers 

 therein with the most resounding toots and heart- 

 rending buzzing sounds that he could evoke, as a sig- 

 nal that breakfast would be ready in ■a.bout half an 

 (To be continued.) 



