Actually the staff and facilities of the department here at Harvard make one of the best in the country. It is better off financially than most, and there are many outside institutions such as the Museum of Comparative Zoology, the Gray Herbarium, the Arnold Arboretum, the Botanical Museum and the Harvard forest connected with the department. The Biology Laboratory has excellent facilities, and there is a very thorough library. Lastly the faculty is large and brilliant.

There is no division within the field and a review of the main courses is sufficient to pass the general exam at the end of Senior year. With the field so definite there is little need of tutorial to tie the different branches together. The material is all right there in the courses and must be learned rather than synthesized. Further the labs are so extensive, taking as much as four afternoons a week, that the student hasn't much time for tutorial. Also there are frequent tests which preclude extensive research.

One course in Physics, probably C, and one in Chemistry are required. Chemistry 2 is especially valuable to the field, but requires more chemistry than one usually has. Anthropology is excellent for a related course. A reading knowledge of French and German is desirable. Of the basic courses including Biology D two should be taken Freshman year.

Biology D is a very good elementary course under the able leadership of Professor Hisaw. Hisaw's trump is his wonderful sense of humor which overcomes any delinquencies in his organization. Darrah in the first half year is not so well liked but is considered helpful. This is an excellent course for non-concentrators.

Of Biology 1, 2, and 3, two courses are required, and two more advanced courses.

Biology 1 on Botany is one of the best liked courses in the department. It is given in the first half year by Weston who is said to put romance into Biology and in the second by Wetmore who, while somewhat strained, organizes very well. The labs required perhaps too much drawing but are fairly easy.

Biology 2 on Comparative Anatomy and the Evolution of Vertebrates, has been an excellent course under Romer, but faces a revolution this year when it is turned into a half course. 3 on Physiology is particularly strong on lab technique and methods of research. For this reason it is a fairly difficult course and probably should not be taken until Junior year. Redfield, Wald, and Stier are all highly commended lecturers.

The more advanced courses are all good on their particular branch. 2 on Animal Embryology is good for pre-Medical work; Hoadley while not too good a lecturer treats his fascinating material in a very thorough way. 24 on Animal Histology is a very essential and good supplement to Biology 2; Dawson's are very concise and well organized, but the lab is extensive, difficult, and probably the most important part of the course. Cleveland's course 23 was considered good and could stand being a full course his lectures, while conversational are interesting and well organized. 29 like 3 involves a good deal of research and is recommended for honors candidates. 16 on Economic Botany is particularly good for concentrators in fields such as Anthropology and Agricultural Economics.

Of the men in the department Thimann Wald and Dawson were all highly recommended and in general the quality of teaching was considered high. On the whole therefore Biology is a well organized compact field for those who have a fairly definite idea of what they want.

If you do decide to concentrate in Geology get the survey course and the correlation courses in chemistry and physics out of the way as soon as possible. You really should have at least two of them behind you by the end of your Freshman year. The courses suited to the Sophomore year are Mineralogy 2, Geology 2b, Geology 17a, Geology 18b, and Paleontology 1. In the Junior year try Geology 10, 2a, 8a and b, or-Mineralogy 8a and 9b. Hold over Geology 3, 9a and 9b till your last year.