24 LOUIS AGASSIZ. [CHAP. n. 



of the three friends, Agassiz kept out of temptation, 

 and expended his impetuous nature in solid and difficult 

 work on fishes, living and fossil. 



Strange to say, with an allowance of only $250 a 

 year, Agassiz managed constantly to keep in his pay 

 an artist, Dinkel, to draw fossil and living fishes ; 

 and, occasionally, a second artist, Mr. J. C. Weber, 

 to draw the Spix fishes and pieces of anatomy. They 

 formed a sort of fraternal association. As Agassiz 

 said, " They were even poorer than I, and so we man- 

 aged to get along together." Their fare was certainly 

 very simple ; bread, cheese, beer, and tobacco being the 

 main articles. Imagine Agassiz, with his scanty allow- 

 ance, providing for two artists, besides Karl Schimper, 

 and his younger brother, William Schimper. To be sure, 

 Alexander Braun helped much also. But if we sup- 

 pose that Braun got $300 a year from his father, six 

 young men between the ages of twenty and twenty-five 

 had to live upon less than $600 a year, out of which 

 also they had to pay for their studies at the univer- 

 sity, and provide themselves with instruments, and books, 

 and clothing. Agassiz got a little money from the 

 " Brazilian Fishes " and some other writing, with which 

 he purchased a microscope - - a rather expensive instru- 

 ment and several books; and he received, as a gift 

 from Professor Dollinger, a copy of the finely illus- 

 trated work on living fishes, by the great French ich- 

 thyologist, Rondelet, of Montpellier. The editor Cotta 

 sent him also a certain number of expensive natural 

 history books. 



" I cannot review my Munich life without great grati- 



