1874I] Studies in Seaweeds and Fishes 



which in later years have flowed from many quarters, influence 

 it is still true that the school with most extended °^ 

 influence on scientific teaching in America was held ^^^^^^^' 

 in an old barn on a little offshore island. It lasted 

 only a few months, and it had virtually but one 

 teacher. When he died, it vanished ! 



At Penikese I devoted myself chiefly to the study Aigm 

 of Algae, making in all a large collection of seaweeds. ''''^ 

 This interest led Agassiz to appoint me instructor ^'^" 

 in marine botany for the second summer. Toward 

 the end of the first session, however, he asked me 

 to undertake a study of the fishes of the region, 

 and I was accordingly put in charge of the schooner 

 Nina Aiken, Captain Flanders. Every morning 

 early we started out to see the raising of the pound 

 nets (stationary traps for fishes) at Mememsha 

 Bight on Marthas Vineyard, near the gaudily 

 colored orange and white promontory of Gay Head. 

 Here I made my first acquaintance with fishes of 

 the sea, which were brought up in bewildering variety. 

 It then became my duty to select those which I 

 thought would be useful in the Museum of Com- 

 parative Zoology, and to study the habits of the 

 different kinds. Meanwhile I prepared and soon 

 after published (1874) "A Key to the Marine Algae 

 of the Atlantic Coast from Newfoundland to Florida," 

 including a list of all the known species; like most 

 papers of that type, it was useful mainly to the 

 author, and as a point of departure for future study. 

 But my removal to the Middle West checked for 

 the time being any further work along that line, and 



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