Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1874-06-03

compressed and arched body. When l
had finished, he waited as if expecting
more, and then with an air of disappoint-
ment said:
"You have not looked very carefully;
why,' he continued more earnestly, you
haven't even seen one of the most conspic-
uous features of the animal. which is as
plainly before your eyes as the fish itself;
look again, look again. and he left me
to my misery.
I was piqued; | was mortified. Still
more of that wretched fish! But now |
set myself to my task with will, and dis
covered one new thing after another, until
l saw how just the professors criticism
had been. The afternoon passed quickly,
and when, toward its close, the professor
inquired: DO you see it yet?" No" l
replied, 81 am certain l do not, but l see
how little [ saw before" THAT is next
BEST" said he earnestly. "but won't hear
you now; put away your fish and 60 home
perhaps you will be ready with IA better
answer in the morning. l will examine
you before you look at the fish," This was
disconcerting; not only must l think of
my fish all night, studying, without the
object before me. what this unknown but
most visible feature might be; but, also,
without reviewing my new discoveries,
must give an exact account OF them the
next day. 1 had bad memory; so l
walked home by Charles river in dis
tracted state, with my two perplexities.
The cordial greeting from the professor
the next morning was reassuring; here
was man who seemed to be quite as
anxious as l, that should see for myself
what he saw. do you perhaps mean. y
l asked. THAT the fish has symmetrical
sides with paired organs?" His thoroughly
pleased "Of course, of course!" repaid
the wakeful hours of the previous night.
After he had discoursed most happily and
enthusiastically-as he always did-upon
the importance of this point, ventured to
ask what l should do next. "Oh, look at
your fish," he said, and left me again to
my own devices. In little more than an
hour he returned and heard my new cata-
| logue THAT is good, that is good! !" he
repeated; "but that is not all; 60 on;
and so for three long days he placed that
fish before my eyes, forbidding me to look
ut ANYTHING else, or to use any artificial aid
Look, look, look" was his repeated in
junction This was the best entomolOgica
lesson l ever had, lesson whose influence
has extended to the details of every subse-
left me. as he has left it to many others, o.
inestimable value, which we could not buy
W ith which we cannot part. A year after
ward, some of US were amusing ourselves
with chalking outlandish beasts upon the
museum blackboard. We drew prancins
star-fishes; frogs in mortal combat hydra
headed worms; stately crawfishes. stand
ING on their tails, bearing aloft umbrellas
and grotesque fishes with gaping mouth:
and staring eyes The professor came il
shortly after, and was as amused as any a
our experiments, He looked at the fishes
:. Hamulons, every one of them," he said
"Mr. drew them" True and t
this day, If | attempt fish, l can draw
nothing but Hemulons.
The fourth day, second fish of th'
same group was placed beside the first
and l was hidden to point out the resem
blances and the differences between th'
two; another and another followed, unit
the entire family lay before me, and ;
whole legion Of jars covered the table ant
surrounding shelves; the odor had become
a pleasant perfume, and even now tn
sight of an old, six-inch, worm eaten corl
brings fragrant memories. The who'll
[ group of Hamulons was thus brought t
| review, and whether engaged upon tn
, dissection of the internal organs, the pre-
/ paration and examination of the bon
, frame work. or the description of the var
S ious parts, Agassiz's training in the metho
| of observing facts and their orderly al
: rangement was ever accompanied b
0 the urgent exhortation not to be confer
+ with them Facts are stupid things" h
Il would say, until brought into connectio
l with some general law" At the end {
! eight months it was almost with reluctanc
that | left these friends and turned to il
|. sects; but what l had gained by this ou
e side experience has been of greater valt
- than years of later investigation in my +;
IF vorite groups.-HearM and Home.