The Boy Agassiz. 3 



and we find him roaming the fields with his com- 

 panions, wooing the secrets of nature from the flowers 

 and insects; a merry lad, brave, courageous, earnest 

 and thoughtful. His first collection was a series of 

 fishes representing all the different varieties which he 

 and his companions could find in the vicinity of the 

 village. While other boys collected inanimate ob- 

 jects he showed a strong preference for animal life, 

 and one of his chief delights was the possession of 

 various birds, mice, rabbits, indeed every available 

 creature that he could keep and rear. 



As a fisherman he was particularly successful, often 

 disregarding the appliances of his comrades, catching 

 the finny victims in the nooks and corners to which 

 he knew they resorted. In the yard of the Agassiz 

 home a stone basin had been built to receive the 

 water of a spring, and in this the young naturalist 

 placed his finny prizes and watched and studied their 

 habits, taking the first steps in the direction in 

 which in later years he became so justly celebrated. 



If any one trait impresses the reader at this period 

 of his life it is his habit of observation, so essential 

 to the successful naturalist. The boy did not confine 

 his investigations to natural history alone, but made 

 incursions into various fields, often displaying re- 

 markable mechanical skill. It was the custom in 

 those days, as it is now in some of the cantons of 

 Switzerland, for the various artisans — tailors, carpen- 

 ters, coopers and others, to travel about the country, 

 and in the course of the year many stopped at the 

 Agassiz parsonage. Young Agassiz carefully ob- 

 served their methods of work, and after a visit from 



