HENRY WHEATLAND. S65 



ried on, and the Doctor contributed his full share in specimens and 

 observations during his constant association with Emerson, Storer, 

 Gould, Harris, and others ; while Stimpson of a later date always 

 acknowledged that he took his first lessons in dredging of Dr. Wheat- 

 land. To Agassiz he sent many specimens when the latter began to 

 make his famous Museum at Cambridge ; and with many conchologists 

 abroad he carried on active exchanges, which added much to the early 

 importance of the natural history collections in Salem. For years 

 after I became intimately associated with him, in my boyhood, in the 

 work of the Essex Institute, the Doctor continued his preparation of 

 skulls of such mammals as he could obtain, many heads being brought 

 home to him from foreign countries by Salem sea captains. These 

 heads the Doctor soaked in tubs of water kept in the yard at his home, 

 and bleached on shelves he prepared for the purpose on the roof of the 

 barn. He daily watched and worked over these specimens for hours 

 at a time, and finally placed them clean and white in the cases in the 

 Institute. In those days every collector was obliged to prepare his 

 own specimens ; and if a rare fish or reptile came to the Society and 

 there was no money for the purchase of alcohol, which was generally 

 the case, the Doctor would prepare the skin and "mount" the speci- 

 men. It was his hands that prepared, over sixty years ago, the large 

 specimen of horse-mackerel which still hangs upon the walls of the 

 Peabody Academy of Science, and the enormous lobster, the wonder 

 of the present day, which is treasured by the Academy. 



It was the Doctor's practice of saving in some way every important 

 specimen which he secured that made the series of '• stuffed " turtles 

 and their prepared shells and skeletons of such importance as to call 

 Agassiz to Salem. On this occasion I was first brought in contact 

 with the great naturalist, which event changed the whole course of 

 my life ; and it was thus through the training of Doctor Wheatland 

 that I entered upon my career of scientific pursuits. In acknowledg- 

 ing him, my life-long friend, as my first instructor in science, I but 

 give credit due to one who helped many others in a similar manner, — 

 one whose friendship was always true and lasting, and whose useful- 

 ness and influence in the community were widespread. 



While Dr. Wheatland was a true naturalist and did much to encour- 

 age the study in others, and unquestionably aided to a considerable 

 extent the impetus given to its study in Salem, he became in later 

 years equally interested in local historical and genealogical researches. 

 As younger men gradually took up his natural history work, he turned 

 his attention wholly to historical matters and his brain became a 



