210 MEMOIR OF BR. HARVEY. 



naturalist for examination. That gentleman found in the sand 

 multitudes of microscopic shells (see account of Foraminifera 

 in Seaside Book), and also that the species varied in the dif- 

 ferent parcels. Further, that according to the depth of water, 

 the species were different ; and this with so much certainty, that 

 it required but an examination of as much sand as stuck to the 

 deep-sea lead to tell the depth of the water. When Professor 

 Bache sat down, Lieutenant Maury of the U.S.N, got up. 

 He has written much on meteorology and oceanic currents ; is 

 superintendent of the Observatory here, and well known at this 

 side of the Atlantic, as also among scientific men at our side. He 

 said that the paper just read seemed to him to be the first step 

 in what he might call concliological navigation, or groping one's 

 way in hazy weather, by aid of a knowledge of the bottom ; 

 and then he told a story of having been himself out in an open 

 smack, without nautical instruments on board ; how a dense 

 fog came on, and they did not know where they were. But the 

 boatman kept continually at work with his " blue pigeon " 

 (deep sea lead), carefully looking at everything that stuck to 

 it, till at last a fragment of shell came up, and the boatman 

 cried out, " All right now, sir, we're off Hog Island !" and so 

 it proved on the clearing up of the fog. There is a story to 

 show that even so useless a study as that of shells may be of 

 some value, even to a sailor ! Agassiz was the great gun of 

 the meeting, and brought forward many very brilliant, though 

 short papers, sparks struck from the steel to set minds at work, 

 and to suggest researches to working naturalists in all depart- 

 ments. His fine thought, of reforming the classifications of 

 animals by a more intimate study of their young in the various 

 stages from embryonic life to full development, grows apace ; 

 and if he lives to bring out his conception of a system based upon 

 this, it will not only crown his memory for ever, but be the 

 greatest step of the present age in zoological science. I hope 

 no interloper may come in to rob him of the fruits of his labour. 

 We had some new observations from him furthering his main 

 idea, one of which will sweep away a good deal of the present 

 system of comparative anatomy ; yet his induction, so far as I 

 can see, is unassailable. It is based on the metamorphosis of 

 organs, a sure ground to build on. But why write you all this 

 natural history stuff? I know Agassiz made a great impression 



