THE RETROSPECT OF THE YEAR. 69 



was his favorite employment and he continued in it until 

 near his sixtieth year. He then engaged in the manufact- 

 ure of cod liver oil, which he successfully pursued during 

 the remainder of his life. In early life he began to ob- 

 serve the habits and characteristics of fishes, and to read 

 such books on natural history as he could obtain. Keen 

 observation and a powerful memory enabled him to accu- 

 mulate a great quantity of novel information, all of which 

 was placed at the service of Dr. D. H. Storer during the 

 preparation of his report on the fishes of Massachusetts 

 published in 1843. His special knowledge on these and 

 kindred subjects naturally attracted the attention of Prof. 

 Louis Agassiz, who, in 1852, visited him at his home on 

 Long: Point ; this was the beginning of a lifelong friend- 



O * o o c? 



ship. 



His growing acquaintance with scientific men, who ap- 

 preciated his peculiar attainments, was an inducement to 

 redouble his efforts in his favorite studies and pursuits. 



Under a resolve of the Legislature approved May 16, 

 1856, the Governor was authorized with the advice of the 

 Council to appoint three commissioners, whose duty it 

 should be to ascertain and report to the next General Court 

 such facts respecting the artificial propagation of fish as 

 might show the practicability and expediency of establish- 

 ing the artificial propagation of fish and the restocking of 

 the interior waters of the State. 



Capt. Atwood was appointed one of these commission- 

 ers, and to him was intrusted the duty of making the ob- 

 servations and conducting the preliminary experiments. 

 Temporary arrangements for this purpose were made at 

 Sandwich, and here he made the first experiments of the 

 kind in this State, and proved that the artificial fecunda- 

 tion of the eggs of trout could be accomplished, although 

 he did not in these first attempts succeed in keeping the 



