INTRODUCTION. 



epoch in Balfour's life. Up to that time his rough examination 

 of such bodies had revealed to him nothing more than what in 

 school-boy language he spoke of as " squash ;" but when under 

 Eaton's deft hands the intricate organs of the larval Arthropod 

 floated out under water and displayed themselves as a labyrinth 

 of threads and sheets of silvery whiteness a new world of obser- 

 vation Opened itself up to Balfour, and we may probably date 

 from this the beginning of his exact morphological knowledge. 



While thus learning the art of observing, he was at the same 

 time developing his power of thinking. He was by nature fond 

 of argument, and defended with earnestness any opinions which 

 he had been led to adopt. He was very active in the Harrow 

 Scientific Society, reading papers, taking part in the discussions, 

 and exhibiting specimens. He gained in 1867 a prize for an 

 essay on coal, and when, in 1868, Mr Leaf offered a prize (a micro- 

 scope) "for the best account of some locality visited by the writer 

 during the Easter Holidays," two essays sent in, one by Balfour, 

 the other by his close friend, Mr Arthur Evans, since well known 

 for his researches in Illyria, were found to be of such unusual 

 merit that Prof. Huxley was specially requested to adjudicate 

 between them. He judged them to be of equal merit, and a 

 prize was given to each. The subject of Balfour's essay was 

 " The Geology and Natural History of East Lothian." When 

 biological subjects were discussed at the Scientific Society, 

 Balfour appears to have spoken as a most uncompromising 

 opponent of the views of Mr Charles Darwin, little thinking that 

 in after life his chief work would be to develope and illustrate 

 the doctrine of evolution. 



The years at Harrow passed quickly away, Balfour making 

 fair, but perhaps not more than fair, progress in the ordinary 

 school learning. In due course however he reached the upper 

 sixth form, and in his last year, became a monitor. At the 

 same time his exact scientific knowledge was rapidly increasing. 

 Geology still continued to be his favorite study, and in this he 

 made no mean progress. During his last years at Harrow he 

 and his brother Gerald worked out together some views concern- 

 ing the geology of their native county. These views they 

 ultimately embodied in a paper, which was published in their 

 joint names in the Geological Magazine for 1872, under the title 



