A CENTUKY OF ZOOLOGY IN AMERICA 401 



exertions of some gentlemen in our principal cities, and in 

 various other parts of the Union." 



During these 28 years the Journal had been of great 

 service to^ zoology not only in the publication of the 

 results of investigations but also in the review of import- 

 ant zoological publications in Europe as well as in 

 America. There were also the reports of meetings of 

 scientific societies. In fact all matters of zoological 

 interest were brought to the attention of the Journal's 

 readers. 



The Influence of Louis Agassiz. 



At the time of the founding of the Journal and for 

 nearly thirty years thereafter descriptive natural his- 

 tory constituted practically the entire work of American 

 zoologists. In this respect American science was far 

 behind that in Europe and particularly in France. It 

 was not until the fortunate circumstances which brought 

 the Swiss naturalist, Louis Agassiz, to our country in 

 1846 that the modern conceptions of biological science 

 were established in America. 



Agassiz was then 39 years of age and had already 

 absorbed the spirit of generalization in comparative 

 anatomy which dominated the work of the great leaders 

 in Europe, and particularly in Paris. The influence of 

 Leuckart, Tiedemann, Braun, Cuvier and Von Humboldt 

 directed Agassiz 's great ability to similar investigations, 

 and he was rapidly coming into prominence in the study 

 of modern and fossil fishes when the opportunity to con- 

 tinue his research in America was presented. On arriv- 

 ing on our shores the young zoologist was so inspired 

 with the opportunities for his studies in the new country 

 that he decided to remain. 



Bringing with him the broad conceptions of his dis- 

 tinguished European masters, he naturally founded a 

 similar school of zoology in America. It is from this 

 beginning that the present science of zoology with its 

 many branches has developed. 



It must be remembered in this connection that the great 

 service which Agassiz rendered to American zoology con- 

 sisted mainly in making available to students in America 

 the ideals and methods of European zoologists. This he 



