MORE WANDERINGS AND WORK 219 



fall and leave it to await the finishing of the illustra- 

 tions during next winter. I hope I may get across and 

 on my way to warmer climes find you in your new 

 quarters. Please give my kindest remembrances to Mrs. 

 Flower and my congratulations and best wishes on the 

 marriage of your daughters. My boys are getting on ; 

 the eldest is now 23, and having passed through Cam- 

 bridge, has caught the cowboy mania and is herding 

 cattle in Arizona. The second is devoting himself to 

 growing, and having reached 6 feet and 190 pounds I 

 hope he will stop. The baby is 14 and is the only one 

 I depend on much, and this will not be for long, as he 

 is looking forward to college. I was sorry to hear from 

 young Carpenter that Huxley was no better and was 

 giving up all his posts. As for myself, I have turned 

 over a new leaf, giving up all work for other people, 

 becoming thoroughly selfish, and the result is that I 

 feel like a fighting cock and hope now to be able to do 

 a few things in which I am interested before I lose all 

 my go. I hope this fall to get out the first part of an 

 extensive paper on Embryology of Fishes, which you 

 will receive in due time. 



In the fall of 1S85, President Cleveland offered Agas- 

 siz the position of Superintendent of the Coast Survey 

 and scientific adviser of the administration. A^assiz was 

 much touched and pleased at this mark of appreciation, 

 coming as it did at a time when the Coast Survey was 

 not the only scientific government bureau that showed evi- 

 dence of a need of reorganization, a condition of affairs 

 that had greatly troubled him, and in which he had at- 

 tempted to exert his influence, only to call down the ani- 

 mosity of some of the scientific men at Washington. 



