AT THE UNIVERSITY 69 



In the summer of 1854 he studied comparative 

 anatomy under Miiller, for which Kolliker had 

 sufficiently prepared him. He has recorded his 

 first impressions. " I soon got to know him 

 personally, but I had so great a respect for him 

 that I did not venture to approach him more 

 closely. He gave me permission to work in the 

 museum. I shall never forget the hours I spent 

 there, drawing skulls, while he walked up and 

 down, especially on Sunday afternoons. Often 

 when he went past me I wanted to ask him some- 

 thing. I went up the step with beating heart and 

 took hold of the bell, but returned without ven- 

 turing to say anything." Miiller took some notice 

 of the zealous young student. When the long 

 vacation came round in August, and the master, 

 following the new custom, packed up his bundle 

 in order to spend two months on practical work 

 by the sea, he allowed Haeckel to go with him. 

 Miiller's son and the later Professor La Valette 

 joined the party. They went to Heligoland. 

 Miiller taught his pupils his simple method of 

 studying the living subject. There was no witch- 

 craft in it, but it had had to be invented by some 

 one. They put out to sea in a small boat. A little 

 net of linen or fine gauze, with a wide opening and 

 short body, was fastened on a pole. The mouth of 

 the net was thrust directly under the surface or a 

 little deeper, vertically to the surface, and the boat 

 was slowly rowed forward. The contents of the 

 filtered sea-water remained in the meshes of the 

 net, and were from time to time emptied into a 



