lit 
depth of water could be got for certain forms of life, and (2i that we 
could, if we required, by attaching a pump or endless chain of 
buckets, recirculate the water through the tanks. The necessity for 
this, however, has not arisen, but we may find it convenient at 
some future time to introduce a means of forcing air into the water. 
In addition to these tanks, a number of large glass cylinders are 
supplied with water in a similar manner The water and the tanks 
have now been fairly well tested. Mr. Storey has kept almost a 
daily record of the temperature of the water and of the air in the 
tank end of the room, and it shows that it will suit most purposes 
very well. The water is obtained from between the piers, near the 
entrance of the harbour, when the tide is in. 1 found at first that 
the water was alarmingly warm, and appealing to Mr. Small, the 
owner of the baths, who has been most kind and obliging, I found 
that we had been getting the first supply of the tide, which, of 
course, was greatly warmed as it came lapping over the warm sand. 
However, since our supply has been postponed until there is a good 
depth of water over the inlet pipe, the temperature has been much 
better, and we have often recorded a lower temperature than that 
of the surface water at our trawling excursions. With some care, 
then, to see that the water is kept running, and to pick out any 
material which might contaminate it, the tanks will be found most 
useful for making experiments on the development of lishes. and for 
studying the habits of marine animals. 
The laboratory will accommodate several workers. It is supplied 
with bottles and tubes, and the ordinary preserving, staining and 
mounting reagents. For small specimens we have a good supply of 
tubes and bottles of the size suggested by Canon Norman, so that 
we may in time arrange them easily in cabinets. But our larger 
specimens have as yet to be placed in any kind of bottle. Some of 
them deserve a better fate. Such bottles, however, if they have 
wide mouths and are titled with tight stoppers, are very useful for 
general storage. We are indebted for these to several friends. Our 
museum, then, is not to be judged from the style of bottle. 
For transparent and coloured specimens we have used formalin 
as a preservative with much success, and 1 should draw your 
attention particularly to the medusoids, ctenophors, jelly fish and fish 
eggs preserved in this manner. That our collections are already rich 
in some things may be gathered from the fact that the Hancock 
Museum has- already gained slightly, and will still further gain, 
from the specimens we have already collected. 
