Three Friends 143 



field when it was still possible to squeeze a lot from a 

 sponge which is now pretty dry. The four stately 

 volumes of his Natural History of the Ducks he pro- 

 duced in his stride, preparing them with singularly lit- 

 tle effort or talk, though he turned out a better and 

 probably more lasting monograph than any of his 

 colleagues have ever done. 



Phillips has gone as he would have gone had he 

 chosen for himself, but he leaves us the shadow of a 

 great name and the benediction of a great friendship 

 and all those in whose hearts he will ever live are the 

 better for his example. 



"And now the Sun had stretch'd out all the Hills, 

 And now was dropt into the Western bay; 

 At last he rose, and twitch'd his Mantle blue: 

 Tomorrow to fresh Woods, and Pastures new." 



Henry Bryant Bigelow has been another friend whose 

 example has swayed me more than he, or I, for that mat- 

 ter, will ever realize. I met him just after I came to college 

 and recognized him at once as a great naturalist. He was 

 enough older than I so that he exercised a natural leader- 

 ship without either of us knowing it. He loved duck shoot- 

 ing and used to go with me to Barbour's Hill, on the bor- 

 der of Virginia and North Carolina on the beach. This 

 place then belonged to my father; it has now passed into 

 the hands of my cousins. We had some wonderful adven- 

 tures together, for the shooting in those days was mem- 

 orable indeed. Henry and I shot about equally well, but 

 as a fisherman he was infinitely more skillful than I. I en- 

 vied him his journeys with Mr. Agassiz on the Albatross ^ 



