1877.] The Study of Zoélogy in Germany. 331 
All the laboratories with which the author is acquainted are 
connected with universities which, unlike many of our colleges, are 
not mere high-schools, but are the centres of intellectual activity 
and the seats of the highest teaching. The distinguishing feature 
of them is their organization, which gives to original research the 
highest rewards, and makes everything else subordinate to inves- 
tigation. Thus, when a student tries for his degree, he passes 
merely an oral examination, for though he may appear deficient 
as regards positive knowledge,*yet if his thesis contains the re- 
sults of original work and is judged good, the imperfections of 
his knowledge are disregarded, and the degree is duly conferred. 
Again, upon becoming a teacher he is obliged to present another 
original research, and the professors are, as a rule, selected 
accordmg to their abilities and success as investigators. The 
consequence of this system, the same at all the twenty-one Ger- 
man universities, is that both instructors and students regard 
investigation as the proper scope of their industry. This gen- 
eral spirit makes itself felt in the zodlogical department as well 
as in every other. 
The rigid adherence to this system has made the German 
universities the home of the highest science. Thus, while inter- 
course between savants is restricted in America and England 
mainly to accidental meetings and the gatherings of learned soci- 
eties, the scientists of Germany come together to work for a 
common end, the maintenance of the university with which they 
are connected. In every respect science is furthered by the 
organization and spirit maintained in every German university. 
There are, of course, grave defects connected with the system, 
but these the author cannot enter into, not being qualified. 
These general remarks have been prefixed to indicate that which 
usually makes the deepest impression on the American student. 
The zodlogical department belongs to the philosophical faculty, 
but the union of the various faculties is very close, and students 
belonging to one can and habitually do attend the lectures of 
other departments. Among the zodlogical students it is usual to 
go through a course of human anatomy and physiology along 
with the medical students ; they are obliged to study two natural 
Sciences besides zodlogy, and to be examined in all three in order 
to obtain their degrees. In some instances botany is one of the 
required studies, or when otherwise is usually chosen, and the 
ird subject is commonly chemistry, physics, geology, or miner- 
alogy. Thus it will be seen the students receive a broad scien- 
