Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1874-04-25

by L will ask what you have seen.
With that he left me, but in mo-
ment returned with explicit instruc-
tons as the care of the object entrust-
ed to me.
No man is fit to be a naturalist"
said he. who does not know how to
take care of specimens.
Twas to keep the fish before me in a
tin tray, and occasionally moisten the
surface with alcohol from the jar, al
ways taking care to replace the stopper
tightly. Those were not the days of
ground glass shoppers and elegantly
shaped exhibition jars; all the old
students will recall the huge neckless
glass bottles with their leaky, waxbe-
smeared corks, half eaten by insects
and begrimed with cellar dust. En-
ichthyoIogy, but the example of the
Professor, who had unhesitatingly
plunged to the bottom of the jar to
produce the fish, was infectious; and
though this alcohol had !" a very an
cient and fishlike smell, | really dared
not show any aversion within these
sacred precints, and treated the alcohol
as though it were pure water. Still l
was conscious of passing feeling of
disappointment, for gazing at fish
did not commend itself to an ardent
entomolgist. My friends at home, too,
were annoyed, when they discovered
that no amount of EN- de Cologne
would drown the perfume which haunt
ed me like a shadow.
In ten minutes / had seen all that
could be seen in that fish, and started
in search of the Professor, who had
however left the museum; and when |
returned, after lingering over some of
the odd animals stored in the up
per apartment, my specimen was dry
all over. l dashed the fluid over the
fish as if to resuscitate the beast from a
fainting fit, and looked with anxiety for
a return of the normal sloppy appear
ance. This little excitement over,
nothing was to be done but to return
to a steadfast gaze at my mute compan-
ion. Half an hour passed. .-an hour
another hour; the fish began to look
loathsome. / turned it over and
around; looked it in the face,-ghast-
ly; from behind, beneath above, side
ways, at three quarters view, just as
CHASTITY. | was in despair; at an early
hour | concluded that lunch was neees-
sary; so, with infinite relief, the fish
was carefully replaced in the jar, and
for an hour | was free.
On my return, I learned that Profes-
sor Agassiz had been at the museum
but had gone and would not return fol
several hours. My fellow student;
were too busy to be disturbed by con
tinued conversation. Slowly | drew
forth that hideous fish, and with feel
ing of desperation again looked at 1t
I might not use magnifiying glass In
struments of all kinds were interdict
ed. My two hands, my two eyes, anC
the fish it seemed a most limited field
| pushed my finger down its throat t.
feel how sharp the teeth were. | be
gan to count the scales in the different
rows. until | was convinced that tina
was nonsense. At last happy though
struck mel would draw the fish anC
now with surprise | began to discove
new features in the creature. Jus
then the Professor returned.
"That is right" said he "a pencil i
one of the best of eyes. | am glad t
notice, too, that you keep your speci
men wet and your bottle corked."
With these encouraging words, n
added
"Well, what is it like? p
He listened attentively to my brle
rehearsal of the structure OF part
whose names were still unknown t
me: the fringed gill arches and nova
BILE operculum; the pores of the head
fleshy lips and lidless eyes; the latera
line, the spinous fms and forked tail
the compressed and arched body
When [ had finished, he waited as
expecting more, and then, with an al
of disappointment:
"You have not looked very careful
ly; why" he continued more earnest
| ly, you haven't even seen one OF tn
most conspicuous features of the an
NAL, which is as plainly before you
eyes as the fish itself; look again, loo
againp' and he left me to my. mlser,
Twas piqued; | was mortified. Sti
more of that wretched fish But no
l set myself to my task with will
and discovered one new thing aftt
another, until saw how just the Prt
fessor's criticism had been. The a
ternoon passed quickly; and when t,
wards its close, the professor inquired
DO you see it yet?"
mo" l replied, Il am certain l Z
not. but see how little saw before
"That is next best" said he, earl
estly, "but / won't hear you now; p'
away your fish and go home; perhal
YOU will be ready with better answ'
in the morning. | will examine yC
. before you look at the fish" ="
This was disconcerting; not on
must | think of my fish all nigh
studying, without the object before m
what this unknown but most visib
feature might be: but also, witho
reviewing my new discoveries, | mu
= give an exact account of them the ne
day. had bad memory; SO | wal
ed home by Charles River in di
, tracted state, with my two perplexiti'
l The cordial greeting from the Pr
fessor the next morning was reassu
ing: here was a man who seemed
be quite as anxious as L, that | shou
see for myself what he saw.
"Do you perhaps mean" / askt
that the fish has symmetrical sid
. with paired organs?
s His thoroughly pleased "o of cour:
/, of courseln repaid the wakeful hoI
> Of the previous night. After he b
v discoursed most happily and enthu
asically-as he always did-upon I
:, importance of this point, l ventul
@ n ask what / should do next.