522 LOUIS AGASSIZ. 



hanna within the limits of the State of New 

 York. I cannot, of course, expect you to sur- 

 vey your State for me, but among your ac- 

 quaintance in various parts of your State are 

 there not those who, with proper directions, 

 could do the work for me ? I would, of 

 course, gladly repay all their expenses. The 

 subject seems to me so important as to justify 

 any effort in that direction. Little may be 

 added to the knowledge of the fishes them- 

 selves, for I suppose most of the species have 

 been described either by De Kay, Kirtland, 

 or Storer ; but a careful study of their spe- 

 cial geographical distribution may furnish re- 

 sults as important to zoology as the knowl- 

 edge of the species themselves. If you can- 

 not write yourself, will you give me the names 

 of such persons as might be persuaded to aid 

 in the matter. I know from your own obser- 

 vations in former times that you have already 

 collected similar facts for the Unios, so that 

 you* will at once understand and appreciate 

 my object. . . . 



He writes in the same strain and for the 

 same object to Professor Yandell, of Ken- 

 tucky, adding : " In this respect the State of 

 Kentucky is one of the most important of the 



