Some ten years ago Professor John B. Watson (1906) entered a plea for the founding of a station for the experimental study of behavior.  He made no special mention of work with the monkeys and apes, but it is clear from the problems which he enumerates that he would consider them most important subjects for observation.  Professor Watson’s plea has apparently been forgotten by American biologists, and it seems not inappropriate to revive it at this time.  For surely we have advanced sufficiently along material and scientific lines during the last ten years to render possible the realization of his hope.

To my knowledge, only one definite attempt has thus far been made to gain special provision for the study of the primates.  Somewhere about the year 1912 there was established on Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands, a modest station for the study of the anthropoid apes.  I have already referred to it briefly on page 1.  The plan and purpose of this station, which is of German origin, have been presented briefly by Rothmann (1912).  From personal communications I know that a single investigator has been in residence at the station since its founding and that psychological and physiological results of value have been obtained, but no published reports have come to my attention.

When I first heard of the existence of the German anthropoid station I naturally thought of the possibility of cooeperative work, but the events of the past two years have rendered the chances of cooperation so remote that it now seems wholly desirable and indeed imperative to seek the establishment of an American station, which, unlike the German station, shall provide adequately not only for the study of the anthropoid apes but for that of all of the lower primates.  It should be the function of such a station or research institute (1) to bring together and correlate all the information at present available; (2) to fill in existing gaps observationally and thus complete and perfect our knowledge of these organisms; (3) to seek to bring all available information to bear upon the problems of human life.

Hitherto the unsatisfactoriness of progress has been due to the lack of a definite plan and program.  Every investigator has gone his own way, doing what little his personal means and opportunity rendered possible.  The time has at last come when concerted action seems feasible as well as eminently desirable.  I am therefore offering a plan and program which, if wisely developed, should lead ultimately to fairly complete and practically invaluable knowledge of the lives of all of the primates.  There should be provided in a suitable locality a station or research institute which should offer adequate facilities (1) for the maintenance of various types of primate in normal, healthy condition; (2) for the successful breeding and rearing of the animals, generation after generation; (3) for systematic and continuous observation under reasonably natural conditions; (4) for experimental investigations from every significant biological point of view; (5) for profitable cooperation with existing biological institutes or departments of research throughout the world.