The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-01-09

INTERESTING DISCOVERY BY AGAssIz.-
Prof Agassiz made an interesting discovery
at the very outset of his new scientific tour.
On reaching the Gulf Stream his work begun.
Writing to Prof Pierce of the Coast Survey
from st. Thomas, Dec. 10Th, he says:
The most interesting discovery of the voy-
age thus far is the finding of nest built by a
fish, floating on the broad ocean with its live
freight On the 18th of the month Mr.. Mans
field one of the officers of the Hassler, brought
me ball of Gulf-weed which he had just
picked up, and which excited my curiosity to
the utmost. 1t was round mass of sargas-
sum, about the size oftwo fists, rolled up to-
gether. The whole consisted, to all appear
ance, of nothing but Gulf-weed, the branches
and leaves of which were, however, evidently
knit together, and not only balled into
roundish mass, for though some of the leaves
and branches hung loose from the rest, it be-
came at once visible that the bulk of the ball
was held together by threads trending in ev-
cry direction among the seaweeds, as if a
couple of handfuls of branches of sargassum
had been rolled up together with elastic
threads trending in every direction. Put
back into large bowl of water it became ap-
parent that this mass of seaweeds was nest,
the central part of which was more closely
bound up together in the foom of ball with
directions, by which the whole was kept float
ing.
A more careful examination very soon re-
vealed the fact that the elastic threads which
held the Gulfweed together were beaded at
intervals, sometimes two or three beads being
close together, or a bunch of them hanging
from the same cluster of threads, or they
were more rarely scattered at greater dis
tance one from the other. Nowhere was
there much regularity observable in the dis
tribution of the beads, and they were found
scattered throughout the whole ball of sea-
weeds pretty uniformly. The beads them
selves were about the size of an ordinary pins
head. We had, no doubt, nest before us of
the most curious kind, full of eggs, too, and
the eggs scattered throughout the mass of
the nest and not placed together in a cavity
of the whole structure. A number
of these eggs with live embyros were cut out
of the nest and placed in separate glass jars
to multiply the chances of preserving them.
The next day he found two embryos, and
on the third day he had dozen of these
yond doubt that they were fishes, but as to
t e kind he was longer in doubt his presump-
tion being that they were of the pelagic spe-
cies of the Atlantic, and after a comparison
with several of this species which fortunately
he had alive in his collection, he became sat-
isfied they were identical. He says:
1t thus stands as well authenticated fact
that the common pelagic chironectes of the
Atlantic (named chironectes pictus by Cuvier)
builds nest for its eggs, in which the proge-
ny is wrapped up with the materials of which
the nest itself is composed, and as these ma
terals are living Gulf-weed, the fish cradle,
rocking upon the deep ocean, is carried along
as an undying arbor, affording at the same
time protection and afterward food for its liv-
ing freight.
The Professor dwells upon this discovery
with the ardor of young enthusiast. He
homes that "some naturalist becalmed among
the Gulfweed may have the good fortune of
witnessing the process by which the nest is
built" and closes his letter in these words:
All the officers of the Hassler are indefatig-
able in their efforts to help our Investigations,
and even the men show useful interest in our
proceedings. We have just reached ST.
Thomas, so that have nothing to add as to
observations made here.
SENATOR MoRToN.-"Gath'' of the Chi
cago Tribune says: "Morton is man of
stronger passions than will, and people often
mistake his violent temper for that steady,
resoute volition which is much higher
quality. Beneath the surface he is often
weak and vascillating, nervous and apprehen-
sive; but he has in him the elements of des-
peration. which may be described as the loft
lest power of bluff. He is said not to stand
well with the ladies at the White House; but
he is considerable of a crony and village cour-
tier, and he haunts Grant, sitting around
familiarly, expressing opinion, but never in
such a way as to affect the Presidents self
| esteem.
He proves his good intentions by making
issues for Grant in the Senate, which frequent
ly come to grief, and do the President more
harm than good. Above all men in the Sen
ate, Morton is given to prejudice and long fits
of resentment. His power consists in an un-
usually clear head-clear even when agitated
by passion; and he has, without the graces
of fine diction, considerable power of consec-
utive statement. The man himself, and his
anger and extravagant view of things, are
| more than half of Morton.