14 LOUIS AGASSIZ 



a few other students, used by way of 

 recreation to turn and lecture to one 

 another. ' ' When our lectures are over, 

 we meet in the evening at Braun's room 

 or mine, with three or four intimate 

 acquaintances, and talk of scientific 

 matters, each one in his turn presenting 

 a subject which is first developed by him 

 and then discussed by all. These exer- 

 cises are very instructive. As my share, 

 I have begun to give a course of natural 

 history, or rather of pure zoology. Braun 

 talks to us of botany ; and another of our 

 company, Mahir, . . . teaches us mathe- 

 matics and physics in his turn. . . . 

 Schimper will be our professor pf philos- 

 ophy. Thus we shall form a little uni- 

 versity, instructing one another, and at 

 the same time learning what we teach 

 more thoroughly, because we shall be 

 obliged to demonstrate it. Each session 

 lasts two or three hours, during which 

 the professor in charge retails his mer- 

 chandise without aid of notes or book. 



