364: Coe — A Century of Zoology in America. 



twenty-eight years of the Journal's existence, that is, up 

 to the year 1846, is thus summarized by Professor Silli- 

 man in the preface to vol. 50 (page ix), 1847 : 



"Our zoology has been more fully investigated than onr 

 mineralogy and botany; but neither department is in danger 

 of being exhausted. The interesting travels of Lewis and Clark 

 have recently brought to our knowledge several plants and 

 animals before unknown. Foreign naturalists are frequently 

 visiting our territory ; and, for the most part, convey to Europe 

 the fruits of their researches, while but a small part of our 

 own is examined and described by Americans: certainly this 

 is little to our credit and still less to our advantage. Honorable 

 exceptions to the truth of this remark are furnished by the 

 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 op Louis Agassiz. 



At the time of the founding of this 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 



