| Show A Summer in a Marine Biological s Laboratory f i Read before the Natural History Society of Utah O October tober 1835 Mr Pr President ON receipt of the request of the executive executive executive tive committee of this society to write a paper on the named above-named topic I Iwas Iwas Iwas was at a loss to know what phase of the subject the committee desire treating and furthermore what would be of the greatest interest to the members of the society As the time allotted to me in which to prepare was short and coming corning at as a s season season ason when busy organizing classes and other work incident to the open open- ing of college I decided to treat the the subject in a general way giving an account of the laboratory in which I I worked during two months of last summer summer summer sum sum- mer the facilities for study the material at hand for work and investigation and the great benefits accruing to those fortunate fortunate for for- enough to spend a summer in a amarine a amarine amarine marine biological laboratory The Hopkins Seaside Laboratory is is situated one hundred twenty-seven twenty miles south from San Francisco at Pacific Grove a quiet summer resort with a population of 1500 during the winter j 1 but during the summer increasing to 1 j situated in a stately pine giove two miles from the historic city of Monterey The coolness of the atmosphere atmosphere atmos atmos- ph phere ere the invigorating ocean breezes a added to the refreshing odor carried in inthe inthe inthe the air from the pines well adapts the location for study and recreation and enables one to put forth the necessary efforts to acquaint oneself with some of the great truths of nature The laboratory consists of two con con 1 two-story two buildings well supplied supplied supplied sup- sup i i plied with tanks aquaria microscopes and accessories and other apparatus for i experimental and work vork in s physiology and anatomy together with witha a good working Ii library transferred for forthe forthe j the summer session from the Leland l i Stanford J Jr r rU U University ni ersi ty The laboratory labora labors ti l tory is under the directorship of two land able professors Doctors C. C H. H Gilbert and O. O P. P Jenkins of the Stanford 1 faculty ably supported by a corps of instructors who do all in their power tomake to make your work pleasant and your stay profitable The seashore in this region presents presents' a fine to the collector as life is very abundant especially so o for fora a warm temperate climate The contour contour contour con con- tour of the coast along the south side of the Bay of ot Monterey is variable beaches of white sand alternating with which are considerable stretches of ofa a I f J rocky shore wholly of granite with projecting points of the same hard rock Along the eastern and northern parts of the bay the shore is a dreary stretch of sand which becomes piled up into veritable sand dunes due to the prevailing prevail prevail- ing southerly and westerly winds South for some distance along the ocean proper we find the same characteristic shore shoreline shoreline shoreline line the monotony however being broken here and there by patches of sandstone and conglomerate and in one ne place Point Lobos a considerable outflow outflow outflow out out- flow of lava has taken place in the comparatively comparatively comparatively com com- recent past covering up the thet ther r t conglomerate country rock and protecting protecting protect protect- t ing it from disintegration and the conI consequent consequent con con- I sequent encroachments of the sea leaving leaving leav leav- ing a barren headland that stands boldly out into the sea furnishing a footing for a few species of kelp principally post ilia palm folia and a few characteristic characteristic characteristic charac charac- species of animal life Between Point Lobos and Point Pinon the southern limit of Monterey Bay lies another region of interest Point Cypress a rugged projection of land looking boldly out into the Pacific To this region and vicinity the cypress of California has been slowly crowded in its great struggle for existence but butin butin butin in its declining y years ars has furnished the seeds that have developed into many miles of beautiful hedges and many ornamental trees trimmed into forms that seem impossible for growing vege vege- tation The old trees are warped and twisted by the strong ocean breezes until they present many fantastic forms and make a decided contrast with the stately members of the pi pine e forest surrounding surrounding sur sur- rounding them Here in this lonely spot is the home of the humble but interesting land snail helix du Desh Desk during the summer sleeping securely in its shell hidden awa away underneath some old trunk that has been forced by the weight of years to recline upon mother earth but bu t during the winter busy fulfilling its destiny in seeking to perpetuate it its species As you travel along the coast from froll- Point Cypress to Point Pinos you pass many interesting stretches of beach as Pebble Beach Moss Beach and others either of w which ich furnishes a anever anever never ending source of pleasure to the 1 student teeming as they do with innumerable innumerable innumerable erable forms of life Having thus briefly described the shore and its principal points of in interest interest interest in- in terest in the vicinity of the laboratory we shall turn to the work of collecting and call up some of its varied at at- tractions As low tide is essential to good collecting collecting collecting col col- the student anxious to take advantage of every opportunity will often be forced to rise as soon as it i is light to pursue his work After a brief lunch and after securing the necessary y pail vials knife and wading boots from the laboratory you hasten to the beach to join others under the care of the instructor who is to teach you how howand howand and where to look for the material that thatis is of especial use for the day days dav's s 's study On your first visit you feel as though you wished to collect everything ne new and before you realize it you have hav loaded yourself with material that cannot cannot cannot can can- not be used while in good condition On nearing the beach teach probably the first thing to attract your attention will be bea a a number of rock crabs scampering away at your approach some running sideways sideways sideways side side- E ways backwards forwards either way with equal facility and hiding themselves themselves themselves them them- selves in crevices one would think too small for even their flat fiat bodies In following them to their hiding places anxious to know more of them and their habits your attention will in all probability probability probability proba proba- be arrested by the great numbers of the modest little ata Old or L. L Nutt l almost covering in many many places the rocks J j Among these little shelled animals and farther out towards the water are b so close together that numbers numbers numbers num num- bers are crushed at every step and also those strange mollusks the limpets some dome sh shaped ped others conical others almost pyramidal Among the themore themore themore more interesting of these are the beautiful beautiful beautiful beau beau- owl shell Lottia Gray another that would hardly be recognized from a s scale ale of granite acm a s spectrum Nutt so closely does it mimic the granite of the boulders upon which it makes its home another the white cap acm a mitra Esch then the volcano limpet Fissure la volcano Roe named from the red stripes marking the sides of the shaped cone-shaped shell reminding one of streams of fiery lava flowing down the slopes of a volcano Should you pass out farther and examine the kelp you would find other species of this mollusk such as the Nace la pass passing ng its time with its vegetable host Here you see adaptation to environment environ environ- environment environment ment some limpets with slender shells hidden away on the weed sea-weed others in sheltered nooks oth others rs like the typical typical typical cal mussel of the Californian coast st Conr attaching itself to the most exposed portions of the rocky shore where the waves forever dash with resistless power Among these forms torms the shell is dense and so shaped as to offer great resistance Then we find the Turban shells Chlo- Chlo A. A A. A D. D and C. C Phil in great reat numbers in exposed places their heavy shells worn at the apex until the nacre is visible attesting to the treatment they receive from their surroundings If the tide continues favorable you pass out among the endless profusion of life in search of sponges hydroids worms mollusks mollusks mollusks mol mol- lusks according to your wants in the laboratory and commence peering into ittle coves turning over stones forcing the kelp aside and lo 10 what a revelation revelation revelation tion awaits you There darting to and fro are numbers of the finny tribe startled by your intrusion the kelp crab may be seen making its way to its retreats some beautiful the lemon yellow doris with its creamy expansions which serve as gills or the each gliding gliding gliding ing over some kelp or rock or pausing by some ribbon ribbon like like coil of eggs just deposited in some som sheltered spot Scattered here and there may be seen stars of various ages and widely different species Among the more interesting is the tiny less than an inch in extent of rays with its capsule on its posterior surface in which will be found a number of young and it may maybe may maybe be of an age to burst out into liquid elements or if these do not delight you some large may be found some with rays smooth and cylindrical Awhile j As while others remind one of a feather i s each beautiful objects for study but so brittle that transportation is nearly im im- possible Probably not far from you may be seen some fine wi with 11 his twenty rays twisted into various forms in order 1 to secure attachment for his J feet or in search for his food If the is not seen at this point of and old and young greet you on every side The sea urchin too may share your attention Although somewhat uncouth in outline yet in coloring and structure there is added a beauty to them that cannot fail to interest The two species that you will see will be the large Franciscana and the S. S the latter often found in a cavity of the rock excavated by its own powers On turning over some of the smaller boulders you find beneath that queer shaped limpet-shaped mollusk the attached attached attached at at- so closely to the rock and of such such- sucha a a color that you might at first suppose it to be merely an excrescence excrescence excrescence ex ex- crescence crescence of its home If the rock has not been imbedded in the sand you may find in company with the the black abalony haliotis Leach possessing the general characteristics characteristics characteristics charac charac- of its class its more pretentious pretentious pretentious preten preten- brother the red abalony haliotis Swains found farther out below the lowest tide hidden away in its beautiful shell r Prying open some som crevice in the rock you find that life is abundant where you would least expect to find it The I the the worms are found sharing this home with other members of their family and almost numberless forms of diminutive life of other fam families The attention may be turned to the sand and here as elsewhere ere you find life in profusion vermes venues of various orders the like its larger brethren so hard to prepare prepare pre pre- pare Jare for study as they evi eviscerate cerate themselves themselves themselves them them- selves so readily and that too after you have to all appearances completely narcotized narcotized nar- nar w nar-w them Many mollusks too may be found hidden away in this one would think dreary home but the beautiful Ia sending its white tentacles tentacles tentacles ten ten- out in various directions J the clam the cockle and the curious that swims backwards into the surf i in search of food then quickly buries it itself itself itself it- it self in the sand backwards as it swims all testify that they are ada adapted to their environment and are as much at home in the sand as other forms of life are in their elements Directing your efforts to the surface of rocks and kelp you find that life is even more abundant there than else else- where Covering the surface of the stones in endless profusion are compound and nd simple ascidians of various colors from a brick red to an olive green f many TI ny of the simple forms showing as a al l l der streak down the center of their cylindrical cylindrical cylindrical bodies their reproductive organs Situated among the last named forms forms on the moss and kelp on old shells occupied by that queer little fellow the hermit crab are various species of I hydroids so small and delicate that they may be easily overlooked but the microscope microscope microscope micro micro- scope reveals the fact that they in turn turn form a place of attachment for colonies colonie of fascinating objects as is also the hydroid in fact one ne never er tires tires' of examining their structure and en ei enquiring quiring into their activities f You now thrust your hand under th the moss and you may find attached to some s solid lid support some quite rare but very interesting small cylindrical sponges sponges sponges spon spon- depending in clusters from a like stem or if this prize does not await you several species are abundant furnishing furnishing furnishing fur fur- plenty of material for the stu study y of While hunting for the sponge you may discover a young octopus octopus octopus octo octo- pus or a squid like a piece of translucent jelly with its arms outstretched revealing revealing revealing reveal reveal- ing the many tin tiny sucking discs that become so effective in the adult forms While thus busy collecting and contemplating contemplating contemplating con con- the wonders of your surroundings surroundings surroundings sur sur- a number of seals are seen sporting in the water not far off following following following follow follow- ing one another in single files now up now down like a company of schoolboys schoolboys schoolboys school school- boys playing leap frog Lifting your eyes to watch a flock of pelicans flying lazily not far above the surface of the bay you see a jet of vapor shoot into the ai air revealing the presence of a whale A short look out will reveal the fact that a number of these sea monsters monsters monsters mon mon- are not far off when suddenly a splash and you see a huge form rise almost half way out of the water sinking sinking sinking sink sink- ing immediately A whale has probably been attacked by that pugnacious little cha chap the sword fish whose di dignity has been offended by this giant mammal of the sea The incoming tide arouses you from your meditations and the instructor announces that it is time to quit work change the water in your pail and vials repair to the laboratory and distribute your collections into aquaria into which you must leave a jet of fresh sea water running to imitate the environments of the collections This done and breakfast you comm commence nce your work either on some of of the lower forms of life on mollusks on embryology on ph physiology of invertebrates or on other subjects of like interest botanical or zoological in which instruction is given or as your wants direct As we are interested in the sponge we e commence work by making a careful study of the external form section it for a study of internal structure and perhaps shall be fortunate enough to find embryos in various stages of development development development de de- forced out into the The one-celled one stage stige the and the gastrula in one field of view What an an |
