For the past fifteen years it has been customary for the members of the biological department of Johns Hopkins University to devote their summer vacations to pursuing their studies upon the sea shore, where living marine animal forms may be secured for daily use

Windle, W. S.

English

University of Northern Iowa

Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science Volume 1 Part 4, 1893; (1887) - Article 38 1893 The Johns Hopkins Biological Laboratory W. S. Windle Copyright ©1893 Iowa Academy of Science, Inc. Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/pias Recommended Citation Windle, W. S. (1893) "The Johns Hopkins Biological Laboratory," Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science, 1(Pt. 4), 112-115. Available at: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/pias/vol1/iss4/38 This Research is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa Academy of Science at UNI ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science by an authorized editor of UNI ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact scholarworks@uni.edu. 112 IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. THE JOHNS HOPKINS BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY. W. S. WINDLE. For the past fifteen years it has been cmtomary for the members of the hiological department of Johns Hopkins University to devote their summer vacations to pursuing their studies upon th'" sea shore, where living marine animal forms may be secured for daily use. The Johns Hopkins Marine Laboratory, as the organization is called, is under the direction of Prof. W. K. Brooks, and has been confined to no per-manent location, but has been moved about from place to place as the wishes of those most interested demanded. The work of many seasons was devoted to the stndy of forms found in the waters of the Chesapeake Bay. For six years the lahoratory was stationed at Beaufort, N. C. Then three summers were spent in the waters which bathe the shores of the Bahamas; Green Turtle an<l Dinning islands having been chosen as stations for bio-logical research. Finally the organization went as far south as the island of Jamaica, upon the coast of which it has spent two seasons. The site of the present marine laboratory is Port Henderson, a private seaport on the south side of the island. It is a quaint cld village of a dozen buiMings or more, used as a seaside resort for Jamaicans of leisure and wealth. A more attractive aml suitable spot in that vicinity cuuld not have been found for our party of seven. In the immediate rear of the village Salt Pond Hill l"ises abruptly to a height of 1,000 feet or more, and upon its l;igliest point are the rnins of an old stone fort known as Rodney's Lookout. Here, in the early days of pirates and buccaneers, Admiral Rodney had his stronghold, whence he could look out upon the harbor and open sp,a and detect the approach of hostile visitors. From the verandah of our laboratory, which was within a stone's throw of the sea, we were affordPtl a grand view of Kingston Harbor, in which the entire 1leet of the English na,·y might anchor with safety. To the north of the Yillage the low sandy beach extends past the village of fish-ermen's cabi::s, and beyond old Fort Augusta to the Rio Cobra river. Across the harbor, four miles away, Kingston, the capital of the island, appears in dim outline. Across the neck of the harbor, two miles to the southeast, the old town of Port Royal stands upon the end of a low, narrow promontory, known as the Pallisadoes. To the south the shore rises rapidly to form a steep, rocky and dangerous coast. Britween this coast and the pallisadoes, the harbor opens out into the de!lp waters of the Caribbean Sea. The beau-tiful landscape stretched out thus before us was completed, from an artist's 1Windle: The Johns Hopkins Biological LaboratoryPublished by UNI ScholarWorks, 1893IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 113 standpoint, by the Blue l\fountain range, which formed a dark gray back-ground to the east and north, leaving the boundless sea to meet the horizon in the southeast. The building which we termed our Marine Lab. was a large one-story stone structure known as the "Sister-Houses." It was light, airy and com-fortable, affording ample room for our party of seven. Each member of the company occupied a separate table and upon this his microscope was placed, together with a varied collection of specimens, preserdng fluids, dishes, aqua-ria, scalpels, needles, pipettes, etc., the whole forming a veritable biologist's corner. It was through the kindness of Dr. Brnoks that we secured a temporary loan from the Johns Hopkins Biological Dept., of all the necessary chemical reagents, general apparatus, many valuable books of reference, etc., to equip our seaside laboratory very fully and satisfactorily. \Ve had a sloop and light row boat at onr command, also the services of a native boatman. While we were supplied with more than that needed for our immediate wants, yet a steam launch and apparatus for deep sea ctredging by steam power, wonk! have been very acceptable. It is hoped that these additions will be made during next season. The location at Port Henderson offers many facilities for biological research. N umerons small coral islands, so called Cays, from two to ten miles ont at sea, are rich in Crustaceans, Anemonae, Ophinrans, Astrophy-tons, Serpnla. Terebrella and numerous species of Alc,yonaria, Astraea and l\ladrepora. Near Port Royal were numerous mangrnve ponds-where the bushes haug extemled into the shoal water so as to form ponds and channels of quiet sea water-we found life very abundant there. Clusters of Clavelina, Simple Ascidians and colonies of hydroids grew upon the mangrove roots in endless profusion, while star fishes, sea urchins and Holothurians were abundant. A large salt water lagoon two miles south of our laboratory and along the coast was inhabitated by numerous crocodiles and turtles. There we also found a large jelly tish-cassiopoea in abundance; also gasteropods aud crust-aceans. The surface collections in the bay afford aa endless variety of forms for study. Good opportunity for work is alRo found on land. The hill in the rear and the broad valley ot the Rio Cobra river not far away are stocked with land crabs, lizards. termites, scorpions, etc. Bird life is not so abund-ant as we had anticipated, and the herpetologist will find no snake~, but only the mongoose in their places. The flora of Jamaica is rich and varied; ferns, palms, crotons and cacti predominating. By those best acquainted with the coast of Jamaica, the site of Port Hen-derson is considered to be the most suitable location on the island for a per-manent marine laboratory As indicated above, it offers superior advan-tages for study of animal forms in the tropical waters. Situated in the imme-diate vicinity of Kingston all the temporary needs of the school may be readily snpplied. It is also in direct communication by steamer and cable with New York and Liverpool. The location affords such general satisfac-tion that prominent biologists at home and abroad have considered plans for establishing a permanent international marine biological station at that place. It is sincerely desired that all preliminary steps taken in this direc-tion may lead ultimately to:the establishment of the much needed institution on American shores. 8 2Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science, Vol. 1 [1893], No. 4, Art. 38https://scholarworks.uni.edu/pias/vol1/iss4/38114 IOWA ACADEl\lY OF SCIENCES. A complete report of the various expeditions taken by cur party with detailed accounts of collections taken, also of the work of each student, explaining his methods of preserving and studying material, would require more time than the present occasion admits; sullice it for the present. to submit the following: ' PHELillIINARY NOTES ON PELAGIC ANIMALS FOUXD IN KINGSTON HARBOR. The only suitable times in the day for surface e>ollecting were early in the morning or late in the eveuing, when neither laud nor sea breeze disturbed the placid surface of the water. Our outfit was quite simple, consisting of a light row boat, two water pails and two nets of fine silk bolting-cllJth. The nets were similar to dip uets iu shape; no handle, however, it being replaced by a long cord arranged to draw the net horizontally through the water. When engaged in surface-collecting we usually rowed out upon the bay a half-mile or more from shore, then threw over the nets to drag from the stern of the boat. Richest collections were taken when the ri111s of the nets extcmled partly out of the water, so as to skim the surface to a depth of twelve inehes. Huxley recommends following the "plancton streifcn" or trails of "dead water," but we found so much debris from the shores in these trails that we abandoned them, although richer in animal amt plant life than othtr places. The nets were emptied every few moments in the pails which were one-half full of fresh sea water. After about an hour's rowing we returned to shore, filled the pails with fresh se:t water and repaired directly to the laboratory. The catch was examined in a preliminary way, Yery hastily, by dipping out small portions in glass dishes. These were held toward the light of a win-dow or lamp, when swarms of pelagic forms appeared, swanning about in great confusion. If desirable specimens appeared they were transferred by means of a wide-mouthed pipette to small aquaria of fresh sea water, or put directly into the fixing reagent previously prepared. Small jelly-!ish ar;d Ctrnophores were removed very carefully by means of deep watch-glasses. Awong the countless multitudes of ntrird forms taken we fouud Jana! crustaceans predominating. Representatives of the Kauplins, Zoea and Megalops stages were all present, a few only of the best, howe\'er. Lanm of shrimps (Palremonetes), land crabs (Maji), lobsters (Homarus), rock-crabs (Cancer), Stomatopods, etc., were among those present. Of adult erustaeeans we found Copepods, Lucifers, Phyllopods and Ostracods. J'\o Nebalia were taken. Numerous Plutei of Ophiuraus and Sea Urchins (Strogylocentrotus), also a few Bipinnaria were eollected in early part of Jnly. Sagitta repre-sented the Annelids chietiy, while Appendicnlaria alone of the Tnnicates appeared,-110 Salpa being foulld as at Binning, Woods Holl, and other places. A number of Cmlenterates were always collected in the ''tow"-i. e., l\lcd nsa of Obelia, sections of Diphyids, Aurelia, a few planulte, Irene, etc. Large Ctenophores (Cydippidre) continually annoyed by their presence. Lan·al fish, in various stages of development, also minute aduits were frequently caught. It is interesting to note the fact that plant life was riehly represented in the "tow" by numerous species of Algre, Diatoms, species of Protococcaceae, also Trichodema were determined. 3Windle: The Johns Hopkins Biological LaboratoryPublished by UNI ScholarWorks, 1893lOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 115 In preserdng the f!elicate larval forms alive in aquaria, for study we found difficulty, and only sneceeded by using large glass dishes (serupu-lously clean) They were kept from direct sunlight and the water was changed or fresh qu:u1tities added every three or six hours, as the case might require. Several methods were adopted for fixing and preserving the material, according to the character of the specimens in hand. l\Iedusoo were successfully prepared by-1. Placing into solution, until they sink to bottom: j 10% Cu SO, -100 c. c. I Sat. sol. Hg Cl 2 -10 c. r. 2. Into 5% K 2 Gr 20 7-l-7 days. 3. Wash thoroughly in water. 4. Graded alcohols, 80-!JO. Larger J elly·fish and Ctenophopes were presened for histological pur-poses by nsing-1. Erlicki's fluid, 6-10 days. 2. Wash in water slightly acid. 3. Graded Alcohols, 38-UO. Crustacean larva were treated. 1. Sat. aq. sol. Hg Cl 2 -:'i minutes. 2. 'Vash with 83 % alcohol and transfer through graded alcohols to 90 % . Other methods were tried but best results were obtained by using those above described. Surface collections from tropical waters are intensely interesting to the student of animal life. There in the surface water of the sea he finds the great nursery of marine forms, both plant and animal. Further, we are informed, suflicient reason warrants the statement that, likewise, all li\'ing forms had origin in minute, free-swimming organisms upon the bosom of the ocean in past ages. A candid study of the life histories of typical animals-in which they pass from a simple cell through various meta-morphic stages to the adult forms-confirms the doubtful in the doctrine of evolution. And a true conception of relationships existing between mem-bers of so called families reveals the truth of the oft repeated statement, that "the ocean is the original haven of all life." The more we become conversant with marine life the more definitely are we impressed with the fact that it is from that source we must ask further information, that shall throw light npon many Biological problems at present unsolved. THE VASCULAR SUPPLY OF THE TEETH OF THE DOMESTIC CAT. C. C. NUTTING, IOWA CITY. After all that has been written about the anatomy of the domestic cat it would seem a hopeless task to find any facts of real importance in a field so carefully gleaned by Vnlder and Gage and a host of othE r writers of the past and present. 4Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science, Vol. 1 [1893], No. 4, Art. 38tps://scholarworks.uni.edu/pias/vol1/iss4/38

The Johns Hopkins Biological Laboratory

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The Johns Hopkins Biological Laboratory

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