Abstract
I HAVE read with deep interest the article by Prof. F. E. Fritsch under the title of “Research in Freshwater Biology and the Functions of a Freshwater Biological Station”, published in NATURE of Feb. 15 (vol. 125, p. 241). Work in this line is imperative in the Indian Empire. Algological research in the Indian Empire is still in its infancy. Investigation into the algal flora of this country is not only valuable for its purely scientific interest but also from a practical point of view, as hinted in Prof. Fritsch's article. So far as my experience goes, this land is very rich in algal vegetation. From a few bottles of algæ collected from the Loktak Lake, Manipur, Assam, by the late Dr. N. Annandale, Dr. Brühl1 and I have discovered as many as forty-three new species of algæ. Most of them were found from a small bottle. In my recent work2 on freshwater algæ of Malayan waters, I have described four species and five new varieties which appear new to science. Previous works on the algal flora of this country such as those of Turner,3 West,4 and N. Carter5 also confirm the prospect of a similar finding of interesting new plants and forms peculiar to the Indian soil and climate.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
References
Brühl, P. and Biswas, K. Algæ of Loktak Lake, Memoirs of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, No. 5, 1926.
Biswas, K. IV. Papers on Malayan Aquatic Biology. 11. Freshwater Algæ, Jour. of the Federated Malay States Museums, vol. 14, pp. 404–435, pts. 3 and 4, 1929.
Turner, W. B., Freshwater Algæ of East India, Kungl. Sv. Vet. Ak. Handl., 25, 1893.
West and West, G. S. Freshwater Algæ from Burma, including a few from Bengal and Madras, Ann. Roy. Roy. Garden., Calcutta, 1907.
Carter, Nellie. Freshwater Algæ from India, Records of the Botanical Survey of India, vol. 9, No. 4, 1926.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
BISWAS, K. Freshwater Biological Research in the Indian Empire. Nature 125, 670 (1930). https://doi.org/10.1038/125670a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/125670a0
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.