The Hawaiian gazette., 1881-06-15
3aluaiialr 6azette.
EST MoDUs IN REBUs.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE Is, 1881.
An Amusing soientiao EEcursion-
lTis thirtr rears since. and more too.

IT'S thirty years since, and more too.
Samuel N. FELTON, gls34f was the leader Of
the party, which comprised, among others, G..
C. FELTON, Qs27), John B. FELTON, (Isi7),
Thomas Hill (ls43), Arnold Guyot, Louis
Agassiz, Benjamin Peirce (le29 and Alex
ander Agassiz (ls55l, then boy, not know
ing word Of English, and armed with a
muslin bag on the end Of pole, to catch but
ierfies-with which, boy as be was, he was
quite well acquainted.
While he waited at South Acton for an
express train Agassiz saw butterfly, and
having no net himself, called, "Alexel vitel
beau papillonj" and the game was soon bag
ged. A moment afterward S. NJ FELTON, kicked
over large chip, and saw a huge beetle IN
der it. Thinking it might be valuable he
called to the boy, "Alexel beau papilonI''
When the lad came up, his merry laugh at
finding a beetle called q fine butterfly was
infectious, and none laughed more heartily
than the one who had audacionsly ventured
on the misnomer. From that moment "un
beau papillon" was the watchword Of the
party; and every living thing which we
thought Agassiz could possibly like to take
to his " toad factory on the Charles, as his
incipient museum was called, was named in
as good French as we could master, fine
butterfly.
We came to Bethlehem, n. h, and in going
! up a long hill, approaching from Litileton, we
all got out and walked except G. c FELTON,,
who remained with the driver on the box. As
] we walked mp the hill, running here and there,
sweeping with the muslin net, turning over
logs and stones, bouncing on frogs, etc. the
driver said to Professor FELTON,, "Who are
these men you have with your" "Oh," re-
! piled he, "They are a set OF naturalists from
an institution near Boston"
In the stage was man not of our party.
/ He walked solemnly up the hill in front Of us;
| he had preserved from his entrance into the
stage, dozen miles back, a profound 81
lence and a very ausieTe countenance, min
! gled with melancholy Suddenly he was OIL
served to take off his hat, make various
/ frantic swoops Herewith, and finally, as the
butterfly rose over a clump of tall aders, he
sprang high in the air after it, making a last
desperate swoop with his hat, and screaming
for the first time, the watchword. Beau Pa
| pilloni" at the top Of his lungs, and top OF
his compass. At that mcmeni the down stage
met ours, and as they passed they both stop
ped moment. The other driver gazed down
the hill in establishment, and said, "What sort
of lively freight have you there?" Our
driver, leaning over, answered lin a loud con-
fdential whisper, They are set of naturals
from the asylum near Boston; their keeper
just told me so"
The next day Peirce and Agassiz were to
gether on the shores of Echo lake; the latter
had borrowed his boys net, and was i'm
terested TO catch a particular specie of dragon
fly. The two friends had separated few
PAGES, when Peirce saw one of the coveted
dragon-hies; and, in his eagerness to have il
secured, called it by the name which we had
already heard it called in his boyhood: Here,
Agassiz, quick here's one of those DEVILS
needless" At that moment he became aware
that the melancholy man Of The day before
was close behind him. The austere man, as
if to rebuke Peirce for using a word border
ing in his mind on profanity, asked in the
most solemn aud deliberate manner, "Sir, can
you tell me the proper botanical designation
Of that insect?"
And for the rest of the time that our party
was together, we could not say proper name
or 'real name, the fascinating absurdity
Of botanical designation" was applied to
every kind of subject and ect.-Harvard
Register