458 LIFE OF PROFESSOR HUXLEY chap, xxviii 



Thus the skull of Petromyzon answers to about fourteen 

 segments of the body of Amphioxus, fused together and indis- 

 tinguishable in even the earliest embryonic state of the higher 

 vertebrata. 



Does this take your breath away? Well, in due time you 

 shall be convinced. I sent in a brief notice to the last meeting 

 of the Royal Society, which will soon be in your hands. 



I need not tell you of the importance of all this. It is un- 

 lucky for Semper that he has just put Amphioxus out of the 

 Vertebrata altogether — because it is demonstrable that Am- 

 phioxus is nearer than could have been hoped to the condition 

 of the primitive vertebrate — a far more regular and respectable 

 sort of ancestor than even you suspected. For you see 

 " Acrania " will have to go. 



I think we must have an English translation of the An- 

 thropogenie. There is great interest in these questions now, and 

 your book is very readable, to say nothing of its higher qualities. 



My wife (who sends her kindest greetings) and I were 

 charmed with the photograph. [As for our] publication in that 

 direction, the seven volumes are growing into stately folios. 

 You would not know them. — Ever yours very faithfully, 



T. H. Huxley. 



How will you read this scrawl now that Gegenbaur is gone ? 



In the article here referred to, a review of a book by 

 Prof. G. H. Darwin, a personal attack of an unjustifiable 

 character was made upon him, and through him, upon 

 Charles Darwin. The authorship of the review in question 

 had come to be known, and Huxley writes to his friend : — 



I entirely sympathise with your feeling about the attack on 

 George. If anybody tries that on with my boy L., the old wolf 

 will show all the fangs he has left by that time, depend upon 

 it. . . . 



You ought to be like one of the blessed gods of Elysium, and 

 let the inferior deities do battle with the infernal powers. More- 

 over, the severest and most effectual punishment for this sort of 

 moral assassination is quietly to ignore the offender and give 

 him the cold shoulder. He knows why he gets it, and society 

 comes to know why, and though society is more or less of a 

 dunderhead it has honourable instincts, and the man in the cold 

 finds no cloak that will cover him. 



