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Louis Agassiz. 



maples tapped for sugar in New England. What 

 he termed the forest fishes/' those found about the 

 trunks of submerged trees, interested him greatly, 

 fifteen species finding place in the rapidly growing 

 collection, ten of which were new. It is difficult for 

 the layman to appreciate what an absolutely new 

 species means to the ardent naturahst and what a keen 

 sense of delight he experiences in the discovery, and 

 later in the description. In one day eighty-four species 

 of fish were taken, fifty-one of which were new. In 

 fact, so rapidly did the new forms come in that it 

 was almost impossible to care for them, much less 

 make coloured drawings. At the town of Obydos 

 Agassiz was pleased at being greeted by Dr. Marcus, 

 who had years before forwarded specimens from the 

 Amazon to the Cambridge Museum. From here he 

 made an extended canoe voyage, which resulted in 

 many valuable discoveries and afforded a fine op- 

 portunity for studying the natives, who wondered as 

 did many of the whites, why the stranger should be 

 so interested in the animals which they considered 

 entirely worthless. 



The method by which the natives adapted them- 

 selves to their surroundings was especially interest- 

 ing to Agassiz. Owing to the large amount of sub- 

 merged land and the dangers from a sudden rise in 

 the river, many of their homes were built on piles 

 sunk in the soft mud or soil. One Indian invited 

 Agassiz to visit his house, and leading the way the 

 naturalist followed him into the heart of the forest. 

 The Indian had provided him with a long pole to 

 cross the creeks on the logs safely, but finally the 



