AT THE UNIVERSITY 63 



microscope down South, where the snowy summit 

 of Etna towered above the orange-trees, and study 

 the beautiful marine animals by the azure sea 

 and the white houses, in the orange-laden air, and 

 drink in ideas at the magic fount of these wonderful 

 animal forms, and live out the lusty, golden years 

 of youth on the finest coast in Europe. From 

 that moment Haeckel felt a restless inspiration. 

 He had no idea what it was that he was going to 

 investigate at Messina ; and he certainly did not 

 know when and how he was to get there. But 

 he continued his medical studies with a vague 

 hope that it was only preliminary work ; that some 

 day he would do what his friend Gegenbaur had 

 done. 



They were very good friends, these two. They 

 were drawn together by the strong magnetism of 

 two true natures that understood each other to 

 the golden core, though in other respects they 

 were as different as possible. Gegenbaur was no 

 enthusiast. His ideal was '^ to keep cool to the 

 very heart." But he was at one with Haeckel 

 in a feeling for a broad outlook in scientific re- 

 search. He never shrank from large connections or 

 vast deductions, as long as they were led up to by 

 a sober and patient logic. This logical character 

 he afterwards recognised in Darwin's idea of 

 evolution, and so the friends once more found 

 themselves in agreement, and for a long time 

 they were a pair of real Darwinian Dioscuri. 

 This feeling for moderation and at the same time 

 for far-reaching logic was combined in Gegenbaur 



