The morning call., 1892-07-28
STUDYING SEA LIFE.
An Observatory for the Investigation Of
Marine Biology.
New YORK Sun.

Marine Biology.
New YORK SUM-
A meeting of the patrons of science and
scientific men was held at London early this
month to confer upon the feasibility of
establishing an observatory of marine
biology at Jamaica, in eummemoration OF
the fourth centenary Of the discovery Of
America. The Earl Of R0sse moved the
first resolution, which was that an obsery-
atory of marine biology in the tropical seas
is necessary for the development Of science"
1t was also the opinion OF the meet
ing that no tropical sea promises so rich
harvest OF biological specimens as the
great gulf of the West Indies, and that
Jamaica was the most central and suitable
station for such an observatory Jamaiea
will furnish the site fes the observatory,
and in other Ways promote It's Interests OF
the work. Steps are Bo~ bei1S taken IN
EngIaud 70 raise the mensy rseairea fer
the e1lerarisa. and there IS every praspecs
tha shs suaitlaa - the resources for seen
tlas 9esaryat59n W. 3eISEs long bs pro
s aestigg gave Yoles to weIs-resag :
hE.el #aei 81 esssftiag that sa abseF - tory
= murine biology Ia tfopical seas IS neees-
s5ry for tbs development oi seienca It is
impossible oa board q scientific exporting
yesse!. no matter BOW Vsii she 5 fl5teG eEof,-
q = study tue delicate organisms tiiat arc
uEht AZ from he bstt0m caught hy he
toN 90 nrs Many Of these animals, IKE
gs& ASheS ana se0iss af aiilee fRrms
can be 6reserve8 IN a condition .it for siudg
only lew hours. TIE argeF namher OF
the tropical MAJ g n sHats dia Il removed
from their nAtiy= waters. Wi,hfbs ests biish-
rent or laboratory where these oiects 0.
s,a acY Br'glsate thew can be taken direct
IRON lhe Z iltO TIE station, 20 - ~ eHee
susjeete6 % tie clssectlng needles Eld me
microscope.
Scientific men nov appreciate more than
ever the importance or this sort oi work
for science has adyanC &. Jar that the
study IF thH dfFei4 4csnent of 40 animal Is
considered quite as Important as acquaint-
ance with its external structure and its in
ternal anatomy. Biologists now desire to
trace an animal from the egg to its perfect
form. They thus gain an insight into its
pedigree which could not otherwise be oh
tained, and frequently establish its rela-
tlonship TO the extinct species whose fossils
we find embedded in the earth's crust
Corals. sponges and many other tropical
species cannot be properly investigated at
many hours distance from the places in
which they live.
Another reason why it Is highly desirable
to establish biological station at Jamaica
Is because the fauna Of the Caribbean Sea
is not more than half explored and is OF eX-
treme interest Marine naturaists say that
not dredge can te hauled In that direction
without its contents displaying some little
known. interesting, or entirely new snecies
5IF. IF--ei eiaa-in a.ESecent number of the Johns
Hopkins University cTfcnlaTs, -Says that he
found in and about the keys at tSs> mouth
OF Kingston harbor, Jamaica, no less thar
% species of starfshes ana sea uTchns.
while the surface was wonderfully rich in
all those larval forms which il would be
one of the principal objects of the investi-
gators In tropical laboratory 10 examine.
The latest dredgIngs of the Blake in the
West Indian region increased the few crus-
tacea then known by no less than 40 new
genera and 80 new species, while 461 forms
of mollusks and other groups in proportion
were added to the lists by the labOrs of this
sinrla exnndtfion