British Marine Zoology

Abstract

I THINK that Prof. Herdman in his letter in which he criticises a recent article of mine in this journal has misunderstood my meaning in one or two points. Nothing could be further from my wishes than to see one station monopolising all the biological work of the country. I quite agree with him that biological science would be better served by a multiplicity of stations, provided that these were adequately equipped with funds and with workers. All I contended was that in the present state of affairs in Great Britain it would be better to concentrate scientific support on one station which, so far as buildings and appliances are concerned, is adequately equipped, than to have it spread over a number of stations poorly provided with funds and with staff, and, ipso facto, incapable of affording opportunities of really first-class work. Prof. Herdman thinks that each new station will attract local support and enlarge the number of the devotees of marine zoology. I sincerely trust that he is right; but my experience has been that a poorly equipped station comes to be regarded by the local friends of education as an expensive toy, which they soon tire of supporting. Mr. Pace's appeal was primarily to the professional zoologists, and as the support of these is at present not sufficient to keep one station in proper financial health, I did not see how they could be expected to support two.