But such thoughts are, perhaps, a utile trying to the mind, especially now that we are making holiday by the sca; so let us turn to something less speculative and more tangible, something that there is no doubt about and that the most tired mind can grasp and hold without undue effort; inj; short, since we are at the sea side, let us make an intimate study of the animal and plant life of the foreshore, the rocks, the shallow bays, and the deeps beyond, for a wonderful world lies before us.
First of all let us consider for a while the life of the sea itself. Oceanography has in recent. years developed into a very important, and almost am exact, science, and not the least important part of it is that to do with the biology of the ocean.
In fact, one might almost consider this the most important branch since the main utilitarian aspect of oceanography is the knowledge it brings us of one of mankind's greatest food supplies—marine fish. They have realized this in Europe and America, and have established splendidly' equipped stations at various points of vantage to investigate the life histories and breeding—conditions of the various important kinds of food fishes, mollusks, and crustaceans, with a view to increasing the supply. They have realized it, too, in Japan, and in recent years the Japanese. have added considerably to our knowledge of the marine fishes of the waters of the Orient, especially those round the Japanese, Korean, and Manchurian coasts. But they have not realized it ~in China, and China in this matter, as in so many others of importance, is still dreaming the dream that she began 2,000_ years ago, namely that no one could teach her anything. Thus while the fishermen that belong to the great Ningpo Fishing Guild go out with their small fishing boats, and make their catches with line and primitive trawl nets, the Guild forbidding the introduction of steam trawls, Japanese steam trawls visit Chinese waters and make—huge hauls, which they take back to Japan and sell at an. enormous profit, because of the size "and quality of the fish they catch.
It is a matter of the greatest importance to China that she comes into line with other countries and establishes stations for the investigation of marine life with a view to its economic development and conservation,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.