30 



Louis Agassiz. 



received additions in the way of natural-history 

 specimens and was a veritable museum : bottles of 

 strange insects, stuffed birds, skins of animals, boxes 

 of botanical specimens, fossils, rocks, woods, — every- 

 thing to delight the eye of the collector. 



Agassiz had formed the acquaintance of Dr. Born, 

 and in addition to his regular work he engaged with 

 him upon a natural history and anatomy of the 

 fresh-water fishes of Europe. With all this he found 

 time to interest himself in various other matters, 

 one being the " Vaudois Society of Public Utility/' 

 in which his father took an active interest. 



He soon became restive in the college work. 

 Progress was too slow for him, and even now, while 

 hardly twenty-one, he longed to branch out and find 

 wider fields. He had determined if possible to 

 make the natural sciences his life work, the profes- 

 sion of medicine being regarded by him with but 

 little enthusiasm. Any digression from this object, 

 however, was discouraged by his parents, and he 

 promised them that he would exert himself to the 

 fullest to take the degree of M.D., which to them 

 was assurance of a future with possible tangible 

 results. 



