140 LOUIS AGASSIZ. [CHAI-. xix. 



displayed in three private collections belonging to citi- 

 zens of that town. After my return, I had spoken of 

 them in such glowing terms to Agassiz, who knew how 

 difficult it was for me to become enthusiastic over any- 

 thing touching collections, that he resolved to see for 

 himself. He found that the reality surpassed all his 

 expectations, and at once he was eager to have all 

 three of these collections transferred to his museum. 

 The temptation proved too strong to resist, and he 

 purchased one, promising as soon as his means would 

 allow to purchase the others, which he did a few years 

 later. Finally, the great and unique collection of Dr. 

 Charles Wachsmuth, containing almost all the typical 

 specimens described of Western fossil crinoids, was 

 safely stored in the numerous drawers of the Agassiz 

 Museum, under the direction of Dr. Wachsmuth him- 

 self. What a devourer of collections Agassiz was ! 



At St. Louis Agassiz enjoyed the society and com- 

 panionship of Dr. George Engelmann, an old classmate 

 at the Heidelberg University, and their reminiscences 

 of student life and intimate association with Karl 

 Schimper and Alexander Braun, revived their young 

 days, when morphology of plants was the constant 

 subject of their thought and talk. In fact, Engel- 

 mann's first paper, written as his thesis, or inaugural 

 dissertation, for his degree of Doctor of Medicine, in 

 1831, was entitled "The Morphological Monstrosities 

 of Plants." Engelmann's character and spirit were 

 most congenial to Agassiz, who appreciated him highly, 

 for, in the words of his life-long friend, Dr. A. \\'is- 

 lizenus, Engelmann "was firm and decided. He did 



