VISITING SCIENTISTS IN SYDNEY

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3106, 9 June 1917, Page 7

VISITING SCIENTISTS IN SYDNEY

There .arrived in Sydney recently two. distinguished young representatives of the University of Upsala— the oldest" institution of it's kind in Sweden—in the persona of Dr. Sjxten, Bock and Dr. Christian. Hessle, whose object is to make' a comprehensive investigation of marine animal life in tho Pacific. They propose to visit the Ellie?, Gilbert, and Phoenix Islands, and it is. probable..that, 'subsequently/, they will.direct their.course, already long and Eerpentine in shape since they left their homeland, for the 'Great Barrier Reef. Both young, men—Dr. Bock is only 32 yeare of age, and Dr. Hessle 27—they have undertaken this long journey, not • without pecuniary, sacrifice, in the'hops that the results of their,work.will serve further to illumine the'scientific world. Their mission carries with it the imprimatur of the. museum authorities . of Sweden, who have lent them practical 83 well as sympathetic aid.

Dr. Bock and his companion had to journey through Eussia in order to make the trip, all passenger traffic between America and Scandinavia having, like a good many other things, been upset by the war. They arrived in Pettograd two days after the.outbreak.of tho revolution, but they were there only for a couple of days. Although they saw no fighting, they were.'witnesses of a good deal of chaos to: which the revolutiongave rise. On the principle, however, that there is-no night but hath its morn. Dr. Bock,-as a. World-wide traveller and a keen observer of' things, thinks that good will-come-out of it all. "A.democratic Enssin,"' lib says,' "will be good for the world. I think things-.will 'be right in Eussia after a time. You'know," he added with" aismile, ."I am a little more optimistic than some of the newspapers appear to be as far as Eussia is concerned."

The visiting scientists have had to purchase in Sydney the greater portion of the instruments necessary for their investigations, because" of the non-arrival of the boat which is carrying their appliances. Br. Bock and Dr. Hesslo will approach, their investigations from separate directions, because each is interested in a different species of marno life. "We have made the journey," said Dr. Bock, "purely -in the interest of science, and in-order to try to enrich the knowledge of animal life in tho parts wo propose- to visit. The South Sea Wands offer a big field for investigation. Our desire is to see the real tropical- animal life, taking both land and sea." Dr. Bock's first scientific expedition was to the Arctic Sea in 1908. ■