Annual Report.] 2 [May 6, 



mate with him in the early days immediately after his arrival 

 in this country. 



When Prof. Agassiz came to New England he found a 

 small but enthusiastic body of men, mostly members of this 

 Society, who were devoted to the study of Natural History. 

 These gentlemen were striving to awaken the minds of the 

 community to the importance of the study of the Sciences, 

 not only as the best means for developing the natural re- 

 sources of the country, but for the attainment of a more 

 advanced stage of culture than had yet been reached. This 

 building, with its Library and Museum, and the present 

 prosperous condition and importance of the Society, are 

 witnessess of the untiring energy and success of their 

 efforts. 



The first work of these pioneers in the study of Natural 

 History was to reduce to rule and order the fauna and flora 

 of this comparatively unexplored territory. How success- 

 fully this was undertaken, and how completely it was carried 

 out, may be judged by the works of Binney and Gould, 

 Storer, Emerson, Harris, Hitchcock and others whose names 

 adorn the Annals of this Society and the Survey of the State. 

 Prof. Agassiz had, however, learned by actual experience, 

 that the exploration of a new fauna, when carried beyond 

 the strict limit of the discovery and description of the more 

 obvious forms, was liable to lead to the pernicious habit of 

 species hunting. He had Avitnessed the last days of the wild 

 scramble for new species, which had followed upon the in- 

 troduction of the Linnean nomenclature in Europe, and its 

 injurious effects upon the minds of his fellow students. He 

 had also taken part in the reaction inaugurated by Oken, 

 Goethe and Yon Baer, in Germany, and Geoffrey St. Hilaire, 

 Lamarck and Cuvier in France, and felt that in this country 

 the same battle must be fought over again. With the 

 strength and enthusiasm, which we know so well, he endeav- 

 ored to open the eyes of naturalists to the impending danger, 

 and tried by all the means in his power to turn the tide of 



