378 LIFE OF PROFESSOR HUXLEY cHAP. 



with thorough interest, and with philosophic insight 

 which was far above the average of his students. He 

 used very few charts, but handled the chalk with great 

 skill, sketching out the anatomy of an animal as if it 

 were a trans})arent object. As in Darwin's face, and as in 

 Erasmus Darwin's or Bufibu's, and many other anatomists 

 with a strong sense of form, his eyes were heavily over- 

 hung by a projecting forehead and eyebrows, and seemed 

 at times to look in\\'ard. His Hps were firm and closely 

 set, with the expression of positiveness, and the other 

 feature which most marked him was the very heavy 

 mass of hair falling over his forehead, which he would 

 frequently stroke or toss back. Occasionally he would 

 light up the monotony of anatomical description by a 

 bit of humour. 



Huxley was the father of modern laboratory instruc- 

 tion ; but in 1879 he was so intensely engrossed with his 

 own researches that he very seldom came through the 

 laboratory, which was ably directed by T. Jeffery Parker, 

 assisted by Howes and W. Newton Parker, all of whom 

 are now professors, Howes having succeeded to Huxley's 

 chair. Each visit, therefore, inspired a certain amount of 

 terror, which was really unwarranted, for Huxley always 

 spoke in the kindest tones to his students, although some- 

 times he could not resist making fun at their expense. 

 There was an Irish student who sat in front of me, whose 

 anatomical drawings in water-colour were certainly most 

 remarkable productions. Huxley, in turning over his 

 drawing-book, paused at a large blur, under which was 

 carefully inscribed, " sheep's liver," and smilingly said, " I 

 am glad to know that is a liver ; it reminds me as much 

 of Cologne cathedral in a fog as of anything I have ever 

 seen before." Fortunately the nationality of the student 

 enabled him to fully appreciate the humour. 



The same note is sounded in Professor Mivart's 

 description of these lectures in his Reminiscences : — 



