LIFE OF ELIE METCHNIKOFF 49 



He had heard of a very talented young zoologist, 

 Alexander Kovalevsky, who also knew him by hearsay 

 and had written him a letter full of enthusiasm con- 

 cerning the rich Mediterranean fauna and the facilities 

 for work in Italy. He therefore went to Naples on 

 leaving Giessen. Though the journey in itself had 

 but a secondary attraction for him, he had expected 

 to receive a strong impression ; but his imagination 

 had painted such grandiose pictures of the country 

 that he had to cross, that the reality disappointed 

 him, and Italy, like Switzerland on a former occasion, 

 fell very far short of his expectations. He stopped 

 at Florence, which made but a poor impression 

 on him. Museums fatigued him, for he saw a great 

 deal too many works of art all at once without 

 any previous preparation. Architecture and the 

 plastic arts in general did not take any hold of him. 

 During his rapid journey he only saw the country 

 quite superficially and had no time to become im- 

 pregnated with its beauty. He therefore hastened 

 towards Naples, where his work and Kovalevsky 

 attracted him far more. 



He found in Kovalevsky a young man with shy 

 but cordial manners and the clear sweet eyes of a 

 pure child, obviously an idealist. He had for science 

 an absolute cult, the sacred fire of the worshipper ; 

 no sacrifice was too great, no difficulty too repellent 

 for his ardour. On a closer acquaintance, the small, 

 timid young man proved to be a hard fighter where 

 science was concerned. The two young men formed 

 an excellent impression of each other, and a friendship 

 was started between them which was to last a life- 

 time. Though very different from each other, they 

 met on common ground, a passion for science. They 



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