12 INTRODUCTION. 



nervous. But those who listened to him soon forgot these 

 small defects as they began to perceive the knowledge and 

 power which lay in their new teacher. 



Encouraged by the result of this experiment, he threw 

 himself, in spite of the heavy work which the Elasmobranch 

 investigation was entailing, with great zeal into an arrange- 

 ment which Prof. Newton, Mr J. W. Clark and myself had 

 in course of the summer brought about, that he and Mr A. 

 Milnes Marshall, since Professor at Owens College, Manchester, 

 should between them give a course on Animal Morphology, 

 with practical instruction, Prof. Newton giving up a room in 

 the New Museums for the purpose. 



In the following October (1875) upon Balfour's return from 

 Finland, these lectures were accordingly begun and carried 

 on by the two lecturers during the Michaelmas and Lent 

 Terms. The number of students attending this first course, 

 conducted on a novel plan, was, as might be expected, small, 

 but the Lent Term did not come to an end before an en- 

 thusiasm for morphological studies had been kindled in the 

 members of the class. 



The ensuing Easter term (1876) was spent by Balfour at 

 Naples, in order that he might carry on towards completion 

 his Elasmobranch work. He had by this time determined 

 to write as complete a monograph as he could of the develop- 

 ment of these fishes, proposing to publish it in instalments 

 in the Journal of Anatomy and Physiology, and subsequently 

 to gather together the several papers into one volume. The 

 first of these papers, dealing with the ovum, appeared in Jan. 

 1876; most of the numbers of the Journal during that and 

 the succeeding year contained further portions ; but the com- 

 plete monograph did not leave the publisher's hands until 1878. 



He returned to England with his pupil and friend Mr J. F. 

 Bullar some time in the summer ; on their way home they 

 passed through Switzerland, and it was during the few days which 

 he then spent in sight of the snow-clad hills that the begin- 

 nings of a desire for that Alpine climbing, which was destined 

 to be so disastrous, seem to have been kindled in him. 



In October, 1876, he resumed the lectures on Morphology, 

 taking the whole course himself, his colleague, Mr Marshall, 



