280 ALEXANDER AGASSIZ 



Although most naturalists who, since Dana's day, have 

 examined coral reefs in the field have found difficulty in 

 reconciling what they saw with Darwin's theory of sub- 

 sidence, still the idea proved singularly tenacious of life. 

 This was probably in part due to the authority that 

 would naturally be given to any statement of Darwin, 

 and perhaps also to a failure fully to recognize that 

 the question was in no way connected with the theory 

 of evolution. 



It is worth emphasizing that the strongest opponents 

 of the new theories were men who had never seen a 

 coral reef, and may possibly have been in somewhat the 

 same attitude of mind as a frank layman of Agassiz' s 

 acquaintance, who confessed that, having acquired Dar- 

 win's theory in his youth at the cost of much pain and 

 labor, he could not possibly assimilate another. 



Had Darwin lived to see the mass of evidence contro- 

 verting his theory which has been collected since his 

 day, it does not seem improbable that he would greatly 

 have modified his views. Darwin used good-naturedly 

 to assure the elder Agassiz that if he lived long enough 

 he would be converted to his theories of evolution. 

 Might not Alexander have said the same to Darwin on 

 the subject of coral islands ? 



Wishing to continue his study of coral reefs, begun 

 on the Blake, Agassiz spent several weeks at the Tor- 

 tugas in 1881, where he had quarters in Fort Jefferson. 

 He selected this spot because he then considered the 

 coral reefs of the Tortugas to offer a sort of epitome of 

 the probable method of the formation of the southern 

 part of the Peninsula of Florida. 



