Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 77.djvu/219

Rh facts, together with the placing of large problems before the mind for imagination and criticism to solve. An enthusiast for Darwinism and influenced by the philosophical writings of Leuckart and Milne-Edwards, from the very beginning, Dohrn's conception of the field of work broadly included the investigation of function as well as form, and the phylogeny of both. The dissection of animals, the study of their tissues by the aid of the microscope and the description of their life histories from the fertilized egg through all the changing embryonic and larval stages, should be reinforced by physiological experiment and chemical analysis, together with the observation of the manner of living and behavior of the animals.

The zoological station is situated on the shore of the bay in the Villa Nazionale, on the most beautiful and convenient site in Naples. One approaches by a long walk flanked by rows of stone-oaks whose overarching, intertwining branches produce a grateful shade from the brilliant sunshine. Here and there groups of phoenix palms, spreading, leafy palmettos and cycads, add the appropriate subtropical vegetation. The renaissance architecture is perfectly adapted to the uses of the station, while the beautiful structure fits into the scene as naturally as the palms themselves.

The oldest of the three buildings (A) of the zoological station was opened in 1874 and is now chiefly occupied by the public aquarium (a) and the library (b). The second building (B), finished in 1886, is connected to the western end of the first by bridges and contains the department for collecting and preserving organisms as well as individual laboratories for zoologists. The third addition (C) was built in 1906 for the new science of comparative physiology. This laboratory lies to the east of the aquarium, being connected therewith by a building (D) surrounding a court. It is scarcely necessary to enumerate the rooms and describe them in detail. In fact no one at the station could tell me just how many rooms there are! It is sufficient that each investigator is provided with a laboratory containing large and small aquaria, tables, and all necessary reagents and apparatus for his work. There are also large general laboratories for zoology, physiology, botany and chemistry, with all the equipment necessary for research. The museum, now under charge of Dr. Gast, contains a faunal series of specimens so wonderfully preserved that often they are more beautifully expanded than the living animals themselves.

From the brilliant sunlight one enters the semi-obscurity of the large aquarium hall. Great tanks, with plate-glass fronts, are around the sides of the room, and a double row in the middle partially divides the hall. The only light enters through the water, so that one has the impression of being in a submarine environment. The sea-water is stored in large tanks upon the upper floor, then, mixed with air, circulates