4 ALEXANDER AGASSIZ 



pression in a very rare talent for drawing. The Agassiz 

 family still possess some beautifully drawn portraits 

 from her pencil that are remarkable for an unusual 

 combination of delicacy and vigor. Her son Alexander 

 doubtlessly inherited from her his great facility in 

 drawing objects of natural history with such accuracy 

 and beauty. 



After her marriage to Louis Agassiz the couple 

 settled in Neuchatel where he had been lately appointed 

 Professor of Natural History. Cecile Agassiz never felt 

 quite at home in Neuchatel ; her nature did not easily 

 adapt itself to new surroundings, new circumstances, 

 and a new society. She missed the familiar stimulating 

 intercourse of a home where music, poetry, and litera- 

 ture were part of the everyday life. But she always took 

 a sympathetic interest in her husband's work, and her 

 rare artistic talent enabled her to be of the greatest 

 assistance to him. Some of the best drawings in his 

 " Fossil Fishes," and " Fresh Water Fishes" are from 

 her hand. 1 In her character we have the clue to the 

 curious fact that the elder and younger Agassiz be- 

 longed to distinctly different types. 



The very general belief that men of unusual abili- 

 ties inherit many of their qualities from their mothers 

 offers a ready explanation for the marked difference in 

 the characters of Louis Agassiz and his son. Alexander 

 inherited from him a love of science and an extraordi- 

 nary ability and thirst for work; but his sensitive and 



1 The original drawings of the Fossil Fishes are now in the British 

 Museum, for which they were bought at one of Louis Agassiz's frequent 

 moments of financial need. Some years ago when his daughter, Mrs. H. 

 L. Higginson, was examining them there, the young assistant who had 

 been detailed to show her the drawings remarked, "I notice that those 

 signed by the artist ' C. A.' are much the most beautiful." 



