82 
TRANSFER OF LOEW’S COLLECTION TO CAMBRIDGE 
tions of plants, consisting of galls produced by Cynipidae , 
Cecidomyiae , and other insects, and also by Acaridae ; and of de¬ 
formations produced by microscopic fungi, and by hypertrophy. 
1 suppose that it is in reference to these collections that Prof. 
Louis Agassiz wrote me the following letter which I find among 
my papers; it was written under dictation, during illness, and was 
dated Cambridge, April 19, 1872, just before my departure for 
Europe : “ Dr. Hagen has just told me what a magnificent present 
you have made to our Museum. I lament that I am too sick to 
return my warmest thanks with my own hand, but be assured that 
I shall ever cherish the remembrance of your liberality towards our 
Institution. It will always be gratefully recorded with us that the 
first part of our entomological collection, which has reached a high 
scientific standard, was that which we owe to you. I had hoped 
that my convalescence would be short, to enable me to see you 
before your departure. I can only wish you a pleasant journey, 
coupled with the request that you may hereafter remember me 
and continue to me your friendship.” 
In my simplicity, and in presence of Loew’s warm assurances 
of the interest he took in the collection, I did not realize the grav¬ 
ity of the change which had, in the mean time, taken place in regard 
to our joint labors. I did not know that at the time when Loew 
signed the letter accepting the conditions of Agassiz, he had his 
mandate as a member of the Chamber of Deputies in Berlin in his 
pocket. In the spring of 1874 I received a letter from him, dated 
Berlin, May 15, which began in this fashion: “ I have just received 
your letter of April 29, which found me in Berlin, where I am de¬ 
tained as a member of the Chamber of Deputies, and am over¬ 
whelmed with work towards the end of the spring session. You 
may perhaps blame me for having, by the acceptance of this man¬ 
date, put an obstacle in the way of my entomological activity. As 
I had, for this very reason, declined a mandate to the Reichstag 
that had been offered to me, it was impossible for me to refuse the 
seat in the Chamber of Deputies without breaking with my politi¬ 
cal friends and the members of my party. My refusal would have 
given the seat of the District to the opposite party, and thus I was 
compelled to accept the burden with resignation. But enough of 
