Gift of Samueil Hubbakm Scudueh iuw 22,1903 THE MARINE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY. BY PROFESSOR E. G. CONKLIN. Reprinted jrmn, Scibnoe, N. S., Vol. XII., No. 270, Pages SSS-S44, March 2, 1900. TRUSTEES. PRESIDENT, H. F. OSBORN. MEMBERS ex officio. C. O. Whitman, Director^ University of Chicago, Chicago, 111. Ulric Dahlgren, Assistant Director, Princeton University, Prince- ton, N. J. E. G. Gardiner, Clerk of the Corporation, 131 Mt. Vernon St., Bos- ton, Mass. TO serve till 1903. H. C. BuMPUs, Brown University, Providence, R. I. D. Blakelv Hoar, Treasurer, 220 Devonshire St., Boston, Mass. William A. Locv, Northwestern University, Evanston, 111. Jacques Loeb, University of Chicago, Chicago, 111. J. M. Ma cfarlane,.. University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa. F. P. Mall, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md. TO serve till 1902. E. G. Conklin, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa. C. G. Kidder, 27 Williams St., New York, N. Y. M. M. Metcalf, The Womans College, Baltimore, Md. William Patten, Dartmouth College, Hanover, N. H. D. P. PENHALLOw,...McGill University, Montreal, Canada. W. B. Scott, Princeton University, Princeton, N. J. TO serve till 1901. S. F. Clark, Williams College, Williamstown, Mass. J. P. McMuRRiCH,....University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich. T. H. Morgan, Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, Pa. L. L. NuNN, Telluride, Col. H. F. OsBORN, President, American Museum of Natural History, New York, N. Y. E. B. Wilson, Columbia University, New York, N. Y. to serve till 1900. W. K. Brooks, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md. William Libbey, Princeton University, Princeton, N. J. W. T. Sedgwick, ... .Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, Mass. William Trelease,... Missouri Botanical Gardens, St. Louis, Mo. W. P. Wilson, Philadelphia Museums, Philadelphia, Pa. R. Ramsay Wright, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. [Reprinted from Science, N. S., Vol. XL, No. 270, Pages 233-2U, March 3, 1900.'] THE MARINE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY. The twelfth annual session of the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Holl, Mass., which was held during the past summer, was lacking in none of the ele- ments of interest and success which have made former sessions notable, while several new and valuable features were added last year for the first time. In addition to the regular courses of instruction in Zoology, Embryology and Botany, there was given last year, under the direction of Professor Loeb, a course on Comparative Physiology. Such a course can be given advanta- geously onlj^ at the seashore where living animals of all classes may be had in abun- dance. In the organization of this course the Woods Holl Laboratory has taken a unique and advanced position which can- not fail to yield valuable results not only to research but also to physiological instruction throughout the country. An- other notable feature was the course of lectures and demonstrations in Compara- tive Psychology given by Dr. Thorndike. This course was followed with the keenest interest by a large number of persons at Woods Holl. The general lectures, a vol- ume of which is published annually, were unusually numerous and valuable. The fa- cilities for dredging in deep water and for making extensive collecting trips were never before so good, thanks to the courte- sies of the Fish Commission Station. The United States Fish Commission steamer, Fishhmvk and schooner Grampus, were sta- tioned at Woods Holl and they, with the smaller vessels of the Commission and of the Marine Biological Laboratory, formed a fleet of vessels equipped for scientific work such as has rarely assembled in one place before. The attendance at the Laboratory was gratifyingly large ; there were seventy-one investigators and seventy-eight students, representing sixty-nine different schools, colleges and universities. When it is re- membered that there were last year three other marine laboratories on our Atlantic coast, offering their facilities freely, or for much less than the fee at the Marine Bio- logical Laboratory, there is all the more reason for satisfaction at the large number in attendance. In the character and variety of the research work done the past season was not excelled by any preceding one, and in some respects it surpassed them all. All these features show that the Marine Biological Laboratory is to-day, as much as at any time in its past history, the center of biological instruction and investigation in this country. This can still be said in spite of the fact that there are numerous other marine and fresh water stations in this country, which are doing excellent work and are worthy of generous praise and sup- port. However, no other American station has the national and even cosmopolitan character of the Woods Holl Laboratory ; no other enjoys the coiiperation of so large a number of educational and scientific in- stitutions, no where else is the whole field of biology so fully represented and no other MARINE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY. American laboratory is so productive iu original work, nor has so large a number of investigators and students. The Marine Biological Laboratory is a shining illustration of the fact that men and not buildings nor material equipment make an institution great. There is probably no other educational or scientific institution in the world which on so small a financial basis has accomplished so great a work. This work is of such scientific and educa- tional value and the Laboratory stands for so fine an ideal of scientific cooperation that a brief account of its history and work should not be wholly lacking in interest or suggestiveness. The Laboratory can claim to be a lineal descendant of the first marine laboratory in America, the school established by Louis Agassiz in 1873, on the island of Penikese, in Buzzards Bay. The Penikese Laboratory was abandoned iu 1874 at the fortunate location of the laboratory on an isolated island, and above all by the death of the man whose genius had created it and who alone was able to secure the scientific cooperation necessary to its maintenance. After the closure of the Penikese Labora- torj^ an attempt was made to secure the cooperation of educational and scientific in- stitutions in establishing a marine labora- tory at Woods Holl, but the support was not forthcoming at that time and the proj- ect was abandoned. In 1880 the Woman's Educational As- sociation of Boston, acting in cooperation with the Boston Society of Natural Historj^ opened a seaside laboratory at Annisquam, Mass. , and this continued in operation for six years. In 1886 the supporters of that laboratory addressed a circular letter to many leading biologists in this country ask- ing their cooperation in the work of estab- lishing the laboratory on a broader basis. Fig. 1. JIaiii lUiililing, Mariue Biological Laboratory. close of its second session, after having re- ceived in buildings, equipment and endow- ment, more money than has been given to the Marine Biological Laboratory during the twelve years of its history. This step was made necessarv on account of the un- In March, 1887, a meeting of persons inter- ested in the enterprise was held in Boston, and a committee was appointed " to perfect plans for the organization of a permanent seaside laboratory, to elect trustees and to devise ways and means for collecting the MARINE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY. necessary funds." In the spring of 1888 about ten thousand dollars had been se- cured, and accordingly the Marine Biolog- ical Laboratoi-y was incorporated and steps were taken to open it that season. After prolonged consideration the trustees de- cided to locate the laboratory at Woods Holl, Mass., and the whole history of the institution has shown the wisdom of this decision. The natural advantages of Woods Holl deserve especial emphasis because they have been fundamental to the success of the Laboratory. In a good location a biolog- ical laboratory may be highly successful with very little equipment, while in a poor location no amount of money can make up for this defect. In 18S1 Professor Baird determined to lo- cate the marine laboratory of the U. S. Fish Commission at Woods Holl, after having in- vestigated, during the preceding ten years, almost everj' available point on the Atlantic coast. It is doubtful whether at any other single place on this coast so many valuable and important features can be found. The only other place seriously considered by Pro- fessor Baird was Newport, R. I., and this was finally rejected because of the relative impurity of the water of Narragansett Bay. On the other hand the waters of Buzzards Bay and Viuej'ard Sound are of exceptional purity, there being no large fresh water streams in the vicinity nor cities discharg- ing their filth into the waters. In the im- mediate vicinity of Woods Holl are nu- merous harbors and lagoons, with muddy, sandy or rocky bottoms, while the coast is so broken by bays, promontories, straits and islands as to afl'ord the most varied habitats. In addition the tide currents which sweep in through the sound and ' hole' bring in multitudes of floating animals and plants, many of which are tropical forms carried in fi oin the Gulf Stream, which is distant only about one hundred miles. The proximity of the Gulf Stream to this portion of the New England coast gives a laboratory located at this point many of the advantages of a tropical station with- out any of the accompanying disadvan- tages. There are also many fresh water ponds and lakes in the vicinity which contain a rich fauna and flora. Add to these things the fact that Woods Holl is readily accessible by rail or boat, that the climate in summer i.s delightful, the bathing excellent, the mainland and is- lands charming, the sound with its con- tinual procession of ships always varied and interesting, and you have in Woods Holl not only an ideal place for a laboratory, but also an ideal place for summer resi- dence. Having determined to locate the Labora- tory at Woods Holl, the Trustees bought a small piece of land near the Fish Commis- sion Station and erected upon it a plain wooden building, 63 x 28 feet and two sto- ries high. This was equipped with the most necessary apparatus and the Marine Biological Laboratory was first opened July 17, 1888. From the first it was determined that the Laboratory should not be under the control of any college, university or other institution, but that it should be truly na- tional iu character and that it should invite the cooperation of all persons and institu- tions interested in the advancement of the science of Biology. Accordingly the Lab- oratory was organized on an independent foundation. Its government was vested in a Corpora- tion and a Board of Trustees. The Cor- poration, at first ten in number, now con- sists of several hundred persons, manj' of them present or former students and inves- tigators at the Laboratory', who are inter- ested in its welfare and have contributed to its support. The Corporation elects an- nually six members of the Board of Trus- MARINE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY. tees, passes upon all proposed changes in the CoQstitution and By-Laws, hears an annual report from the Director and the Treas- urer and makes such recommendations con- cerning the general policy of the Labora- tory as it may desire. The Board of Trustees, at first seven in number, now consists of twenty-seven members, some of them business men of recognized ability, but most of them biologists representing prom- inent educational institutions in almost every part of the United States and Canada. The Board has direct charge of the property and funds of the Laboratory, elects the Di- rector and Assistant Director, and has gen- eral supervision of the scientific work. From the first the institution has been under the directorship of Professor C. O. Whitman, and it is but simple justice to say that the remarkable success which has at- tended it is due in large measure to the high ideals and the untiring energy and sacrifice of Professor Whitman. For twelve years he has devoted himself to the Labora- tory without compensation and with an en- thusiasm which has served to inspire many others with his own ideals concerning the Laboratory and to enlist their hearty coop- eration. In his address at the opening of the Lab- oratory and in subsequent publications. Professor Whitman took the position that there was great need for a laboratory which should represent, (1) the whole of biol- ogy; (2) both teaching and research; (3) the widest possible cooperation of educa- tional and scientific institutions. Such a laboratory should not be merely a collect- ing station, nor a summer school, nor a scientific woi'k shop, uor a congress of biol- ogists, but all of these; an institution com- bining in itself the functions and features of the best biological institutes of the world, having the cooperation of the biologists of this country, and thus forming " a national center of instruction and research in every department of Biologj-. " The history of the Laboratory has shown that this ambitious project is not only highly desirable, but that it is entirely feasible and has justified the claim of the Director that such an in- stitution is the greatest need of American biology. "The new laboratory at Woods Holl," said the director in his first report, " is nothing more and I trust nothing less than a first step toward the establishment of an ideal biological station, organized on a basis broad enough to represent all important features of the several types of laboratories hitherto known in Europe and America. * * * An undertaking of such magnitude cannot be a matter of local interest merely, and if it be pushed with energy and wisdom, it cannot fail to receive the support of the universities, colleges and schools of the country." There was little in the early conditions of the laboratory to justify such high hopes. It began with no assured co- operation, no constituency, a bare building, no library, no private rooms for investiga- tors, only a row boat for collecting and with only two instructors, seven investiga- tors and eight students. Since that time the growth of the labora- tory in material equipment has been en- couraging, while its growth in numbers and in the scope and volume of scientific work has been phenomenal. During the second season $1000 was given to establish the Glendower Evans Librarj' ; $2500 was raised in Boston to establish two scholar- ships at the laboratory as a memorial to Lucretia Crocker, long a supervisor in the public schools of Boston. During the third season a lecture hall and library room were constructed as an addition to the building and the ' Gifford Homestead,' together with about one-half acre of land adjoining the Fish Commission was pur- chased, the house being converted into a dining hall ; a steam launch was also MARINE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY. secured. lu the fifth year au additional laboratory of the size of the original build- ing was constructed. In the seventh year a new laboratory was built for botany and a large dining hall was erected, capable of accommodating two hundred people at one time. In the ninth year a building con- taining a large lecture hall and research laboratories was constructed and a two- masted schooner was added to the fleet of collecting boats. Althougli this growth in material equip- m,eut has been rapid, the needs of the labo- ratory have grown still more rapidly. The buildings are all of a temporary character and can be used only in summer ; at least one substantial, fire-proof building is need- ed which can be used the year around ; the library is inadequate to the needs of such aquaria and, although cordial and mutu- ally helpful relations have always existed between the two stations, additional land, with shore privileges, ought to be secured while it can be had ; above all the Labora- tory needs increased endowments both for special purposes, such as scholarships, li- brary, publications, etc., and also for gen- eral maintenance. The growth in material equipment, though encouraging, is overshadowed in importance by the growth in the number of persons in attendance at the Laboratory. In 1888 there were nine investigators and eight students representing thirteen difierent institutions of learning ; in 1899 thei-e were seventy one investigators and seventy-eight students representing sixty- nine difierent institutions. In all during Fig. 3. Main Building, Botanical Laboratory, Lecture llj l.:ilii an institution ; the facilities for collecting should be enlarged and increased ; the Laboratory is entirely dependent upon the Fish Commission Station for wharf privi- leges and for pumping sea water to its the twelve sessions there have been in at- tendance five hundred and ten investigators and seven hundred and forty-five students from nearly three hundred difierent edu- cational and scientific institutions, while 6 MARINE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY. among the occasional lecturers and visitors must be numbered almost all the better known biologists of this country and many from foreign lands. As the outgrowth of a summer school it might have been expected that the labora- tory would give instruction in biological subjects, and at its very beginning its founders resolved that it should also give opportunity for original research. The combination of these two functions at the Laboratory has been a peculiarly fortunate one. It has been proved, not only here, but also in many universities and scientific in- stitutions, that research and teaching are of mutual service. A certain amount of teaching is stimulating to the investigator, while the atmosphere of research is indis- pensable to good teaching. When the Laboratory was first estab- lished instruction was given in Zoology only, since then courses have been added and instructors, but also to the atmosphere of investigation which prevades the jjlace and which is one of the most helpful fea- tures to the beginner, as well as to the ad- vanced worker. Instruction includes not only ordinary laboratory work in the sub- ject named, but also a great deal of obser- vation and collection of living organisms in their natural haunts. Collecting trips and excursions form a regular part of the work, and a most important and enjoyable part. Investigators and even visitors at the Laboratory cheerfully contribute to the work of instruction, and so it generally happens that the lectures are given by men who are specialists in the subjects nnder consideration and who are able to teach with the enthusiasm, accuracy and direct- ness of 'those having authoi'ity.' When it is remembered that the persons in at- tendance at the laboratory are almost with- out exception teachers, the tremendous in- r" Fig. 3. Fish Commissiou Buililiugs, Wharf ami Steamer; one of the Marine Biological Laboratory Buiklir on the right. in Botany, Embryology, Physiology and it is understood that Comparative Psychologj' and Nature Study will form a part of the regular program hereafter. In these courses there is an earnestness and enthusiasm on the part of students and instructors which is highly stimulating. This is due not only to the exceptional character of the students fluence of the Laboratory on the teaching of I?iolog3^ in the schools, colleges and uni- versities of this country can be surmised. In 1891 a Supply Department was opened at the Laboratorj' for the purpose of fur- nishing to schools and scientific institutions various kinds of biological material to be found in the vicinity' of Woods IIoll. The MARINE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY. collectors studied tbe best methods of pre- serving material, tbe habitats and breed- ing seasons of various animals, etc., with the result that the Supplj' Department has been not only a great financial assistance to the Laboratory, but that it has still further contributed to the scientific purposes for with numerous colored plates, and some of them represent unique lines of research. For example, the study of 'cell-lineage,' as it has been called, had its origin at the Woods Holl Laboratory and has so far been confined almost entirely to that institution. This work consists in tracing the cleavage c Fig. 4. A Collecting Trip ; Launch and Schooner iu the Background. which the Laboratory was established. At present a skilled collector is employed the year around and material is gathered, not only from the vicinity of Woods Holl, but from far distant points. But it is iu the work of investigation that the Laboratory has won greatest re- nown. The eminent scientific standing of the Director and his co-laborers has served to attract iuvestigatoi-s from all parts of the land, until the Woods Holl Laboratory is to-daj' the Mecca of American biologists and is well and favorably known through- out the world. The list of original con- tributions which have proceeded from the Laboratory during the past twelve years numbers about three hundred; manj' of these are large monographs, illustrated cells, into which the developing eggs of all animals divide, through the whole develop- ment until they give rise to larval or adult organs, such as the brain, nerves, sense or- gans, glands, alimentary canal, etc. This is in all cases a difficult task, frequently' taking years of the most painstaking labor, but its results have been of fundamental and far reaching importance. Thanks to this work we now know the cell-lineage of about a score of worms and mollusks. This work has shown that from their first appearance certain cleavage cells are des- tined to give rise to certain organs ; it has shown that, in the groups mentioned, cleav- age is as constant in its character as are adult features ; that in animals so widely separated as tlat-worms, annelids and mol- 8 MARINE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY. lusks these early divisions of the egg are almost identical and that many correspond- ing cleavage cells give rise to homologous organs. Incidentally such work has shown the close genetic relationship of the groups named ; it has also set a new pace in em- bryology. Now that we know the exact cell origin of these layers and organs, it will never again be possible in describing the development of these animals to refer the origin of certain organs to ' germ layers ' merely, nor to refer the origin of these lay- ers to certain general regions of the embryo. The importance of this line of work, not only in the study of the groups named, but also to the science of embryology as a whole, is fully recognized both in this countrj' and abroad, and the credit for this service be- longs in large part to the Woods Holl Lab- oratory. Other work of the greatest importance has been done in the line of what has been called ' physiological morphology.' It would exceed the limits of this article to give even a brief description of papers of this class which have issued from the Lab- oratory. A few of the more striking lines of work, however, must be mentioned. Much attention has been given to experi- ments on the regeneration of lost parts in various animals. In hydroids, sea-anem- ones and worms these parts are some- times reproduced in a normal manner, while under different conditions a head may be caused to develop where a tail be- longs or vice versa. Another line of work has been the grafting together of different parts of animals. One member of the Lab- oratory succeeded in grafting together in almost every possible manner the pupw of different moths and butterflies. Some of these afterwards went through the meta- morphosis and came out as ' Siamese twins,' ' tandems ' with four wings, etc. Another line of work, even more important, is found in ' experimental embryology.' In one fa- mous experiment performed at the Labora- tory, the eggs of the sea-urchin were arti- ficially fragmented before they began their development, and in this way twins, trip- lets, or still more numerous larva; might be produced from a single egg. If the frag- ments of the egg were entirely' separate, the larva; which developed were separate and perfect, if they were united, the larva; were united forming all kinds of double or mul- tiple monsters. Other experiments have shown that certain salt solutions will cause unfertilized eggs to develop for a short time in an irregular wa}', and only last summer Professor Loeb discovered that he could cause the unfertilized eggs of the sea- urchin to develop into normal larvje, in short, could produce artificial partheno- genesis in a phylum in which it has never before been known, by treating them with certain salt solutions ; this is certainly one of the most remarkable biological discov- eries of recent years. The lines of work out- lined above, together with many which could not here be mentioned, and which have been actively prosecuted at the Woods Holl Laboratory, have been substantial contributions toward the solution of some of the most fundamental problems of bi- ology. Each year a course of general lectures on various phases of biological work is given by difierent members of the Laboratory and by distinguished visitors. These lectures are usually brief accounts of important in- vestigations, presented in a popular form. A volume of these lectures is' published annually and the contents of the volumes form a brief index to the multifarious activities of the Laboratorj' in research. These volumes are not onlj- important con- tributions to knowledge, but still more, they are brief and popular presentations of what are often abstruse and difficult subjects, and as such they appeal strongly to investi- gators, teachers and general readers who MARINE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY. secured. la the fifth year an additional laboratory' of the size of the original build- ing was constructed. In the seventh year a new laboratory was built for botany and a large dining hall was erected, capable of accommodating two hundred people at one time. In the ninth year a building con- taining a large lecture hall and research laboratories was constructed and a two- masted schooner was added to the fleet of collecting boats. Although this growth in material equip- ment has been rapid, the needs of the labo- ratory have grown still more rapidly. The buildings are all of a temporary character and can be used only in summer ; at least one substantial, fire-proof building is need- ed which can be used the year around ; the library is inadequate to the needs of such aquaria and, although cordial and mutu- ally helpful relations have always existed between the two stations, additional land, with shore privileges, ought to be secured while it can be had ; above all the Labora- tory needs increased endowments both for special purposes, such as scholarships, li- brary, publications, etc., and also for gen- eral maintenance. The growth in material equipment, though encouraging, is overshadowed in importance by the gi-owth in the number of persons in attendance at the Laboratory. In 188S there were nine investigators and eight students representing thirteen diiferent institutions of learning ; in 1899 there were seventy one investigators and seventy-eight students representing sixty- nine different institutions. In all during ■aich LaljoiaUn ■, an institution; the facilities for collecting should be enlarged and increased ; the Laboratory is entirely dependent upon the Fish Commission Station for wharf privi- leges and for pumping sea water to its the twelve sessions there have been in at- tendance five hundred and ten investigators and seven hundred and forty-five students from nearly three hundred different edu- cational and scientific iustitutions, while 8 MARINE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY. lusks these early divisions of the egg are almost identical and that many correspond- ing cleavage cells give rise to homologous organs. Incidentally such work has shown the close genetic relationship of the groups named ; it has also set a new pace in em- bryology. Now that we know the exact cell origin of these layers and organs, it will never again be possible in describing the development of these animals to refer the origin of certain organs to ' germ layers ' merely, nor to refer the origin of these lay- ers to certain general regions of the embryo. The importance of this line of work, not onlj' in the study of the groups named, but also to the science of embryology as a whole, is fully recognized both in this country and abroad, and the credit for this service be- longs iu large part to the Woods HoU Lab- oratory. Other work of the greatest importance has been done in the line of what has been called ' physiological morphology.' It would exceed the limits of this article to give even a brief description of papers of this class which have issued from tlie Lab- oratory. A few of the more striking lines of work, however, must be mentioned. Much attention has been given to experi- ments on the regeneration of lost parts in various animals. In hydroids, sea-auem- ones and worms these parts are some- times reproduced in a normal manner, while under different conditions a head may be caused to develop where a tail be- longs or vice versa. Another line of work has been the grafting together of different parts of animals. One member of the Lab- oratory succeeded in grafting together in almost every possible manner the pupa; of diiierent moths and butterflies. Some of these afterwards went through the meta- morphosis and came out as ' Siamese twins,' ' tandems ' with four wings, etc. Another line of work, even more important, is found in ' experimental embryology.' In one fa- mous experiment performed at the Labora- tory, the eggs of the sea-urchin were arti- ficially fragmented before they began their development, and in this way twins, trip- lets, or still more numerous larvte might be produced from a single egg. If the frag- ments of the egg were entirely separate, the larvtc which developed were separate and perfect, if they were united, the larvis were united forming all kinds of double or mul- tiple monsters. Other experiments have shown that certain salt solutions will cause unfertilized eggs to develop for a short time in an irregular way^, and only last summer Professor Loeb discovered that he could cause the unfertilized eggs of the sea- urchin to develop into normal larvre, in short, could produce artificial partheno- genesis in a phylum in which it has never before been known, by treating them with certain salt solutions ; this is certainly one of the most remarkable biological discov- eries of recent years. The lines of work out- lined above, together with many which could not here be mentioned, and which have been actively prosecuted at the Woods HoU Laboratory, have been substantial contributions toward the solution of some of the most fundamental problems of bi- ology. Each j^ear a course of general lectures on various phases of biological work is given by different members of the Laboratory and by distinguished visitors. These lectures are usually brief accounts of important in- vestigations, presented in a popular form. A volume of these lectures is published annually and the contents of the volumes form a brief index to the multifarious activities of the Laboratory' in research. These volumes are not only important con- tributions to knowledge, but still more, they are brief and popular presentations of what are often abstruse and difficult subjects, and as such they appeal strongly to investi- gators, teachers and general readers who MARINE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY. 9 have not the time to go more fully into these subjects. As showing the opinion of the outside world with regard to these lec- tures, the following is quoted from Natural Science, Decemher, 1899: "Every biologist who is still young enough to be enthusiastic, looks with eagerness about this time of year for the arrival of the volume of ' Biological Lectures ' from the Marine Biological Lab- oratory, Woods Holl, Mass. * * * One cannot help feeling that the intellectual at- mosphere of Woods Holl must be bracing, the lectures are so vigorous. The charm of these lectures may be partly due to the circumstances of their delivery, but it is doubtless mainly due to the fact that each is an expression of personal work and per- sonal interest. One cannot but be grateful to the Laboratory at Woods Holl, which has been the stimulus of the fine series to which this volume is added. Floreat Woods Holl." In addition to the volume of lec- tures there is also published under the auspices of the Laboratory the Biological Bulletin, as well as the Annual Reports and Announcements. The service which the Laboratory has rendered to biological instruction in our schools and colleges and to advanced work in biology in general is incalculable ; it is the biological clearing house of this country, where the specialist who has been unable to keep up with the general advance of his science may learn from others what has been transpiring in fields outside his own, where teachers may exchange ideas as to the best methods of instruction, where distinguished men in various fields come to know each other in the most intimate and helpful way, and where all may get broader and truer ideas of the great problems of biology. The Laboratory is also a place to which schools, colleges and universities are coming to look for good men. This feature has never before been emphasized and it receives no direct attention at Woods Hall, but if the indirect influence of theLabora- torj' in discovering good men and placing them in good positions were known, it would be seen that this feature is no small part of the service which the Marine Biological Laboratory renders to American biologj'. The confidence of the Director that the Laboratory would not fail to receive the support of the schools, colleges and univer- sities of the country has been fully justified. During the past twelve years representa- tives from about three hundred schools and higlier institutions of learning have been in attendance at the Laboratory, while twenty- seven colleges and universities and three societies have been regular subscribers to Rooms and Tables. The Laboratory has now grown to such proportions that it can- not expect to draw any large part of its finan- cial support from educational institutions, already overburdened. It is itself an educa- tional and scientific institution of highest rank, and however measured, deserves to stand alongside the best scientific schools and laboratories of the world. " It is ac- knowledged that only one similar institu- tion in the world (Naples) is more produc- tive in original research, and no other offers even approximately equal advantages for in- struction." Such an institution deserves and expects independent support. The present financial condition of the Laboratory is shown by the following figures : Total Aspets. Estimated value of real estate, buildings and e