432 THE FRESH-WATER LOCHS OF SCOTLAND 
work of the fresh- water laboratories. Hitherto they have always 
been accomplished in the anatomical and physiological institutes in 
the University cities, and there I think they ought to remain. What 
is needed is a much more thorough co-operation between the fresh- 
water laboratories and the University institutions. This co-operation 
is lacking at this moment, partly because the fresh-water laboratories 
have misunderstood their main tasks and tried to study as if they 
themselves were University institutes, which they usually are unable 
to do, and which originally was by no means their aim. I am 
also inclined to think that the University institutes are a little 
contemptuous of the studies carried on by the laboratories in 
nature. If this originates from the common impression of the 
investigations hitherto, this is intelligible ; if it originates from the 
supposition that the work accomplished by these laboratories is only 
to be regarded as pioneer work, thus implying inferiority in its scientific 
aspect as compared with all contributions to the solution of the 
great problems of life made by the LTniversity institutes, this is quite 
a misunderstanding. In our days only very few can carry out an 
investigation in all branches which lead to a solution of the question 
concerned : he who digs the gold out of the earth is not he who coins 
it, but the gold-digger is not on that account made the subject of 
reproach. 
Before the new step above outlined in the development of the 
fresh- water laboratories can be accomplished, some time will certainly 
elapse. The laboratories themselves must educate the scientists who 
are able to carry out these studies. University education, as it now 
is, usually diverts the student from living nature : the young naturalists 
produced by the Universities have a much more intimate knowledge 
of nature preserved in alcohol and formalin. When they leave the 
Universities, stained and embedded nature is much more likely to 
occupy their attention and arouse the spirit of inquiry than living 
nature. It is the study of the living organisms in nature itself 
which must be regarded as an independent phase in nature study. 
In my opinion, it is just this study we need, and the fresh-water and 
marine laboratories should make it their first aim to bring it into 
existence. 
