416 PROCEEDINGS : BOSTON SOCIETY NATURAL HISTORY. 
central room which we used for meetings of the Agassiz zoological 
club. This club was organized in 1860, and we met once a week to 
read papers and discuss questions connected with our work. Pro- 
fessor Agassiz often attended these meetings and endured patiently 
our j^apers, and afterwards commented upon them adversely, or 
otherwise. Agassiz’s conversations at these times were very inspir¬ 
ing. He gave interesting reminiscences of Humboldt, Cuvier, 
Dollinger, and many other eminent men. Hyatt always attended 
these meetings and took an active part in the discussions. In look¬ 
ing over my journal, kept during these years, I find no indication 
that Hvatt entered into the fun and revelries of student life. These 
revelries were usually of an innocent nature, consisting, among other 
things, of running to some conflagration and returning afterwards to 
eat cold mince pie and talk over the events until daylight. As a 
young man he was contemplative and took life seriously;' despite 
this sober attitude he was brimming over with good nature and was 
fond of a good time and a good dinner, laughed heartily at a joke 
and often told one even when he was the victim of it. 
An early associate of his, Mr. Emerson, was sober and even 
austere in his manner. They were much together, living In the 
same building, and this intimacy undoubtedly exerted an influence 
on Hyatt. 
He was devoted to his work, indeed we all were, and I recall the 
fact that while the college was deserted in the summer months we 
were among the few that found greater delight in our work at the 
museum than in availing ourselves of the usual vacation. Hyatt’s 
concentration to his studies gave him the appearance of an absent- 
minded man. His attention was, indeed, absent from the immediate 
surroundings, but was by no means wandering in other directions. 
So absorbed would he become at times that he appeared to be in a 
dream, from which state he could be aroused only by some startling 
demonstration either in the form of a slap or a shout. As an illus¬ 
tration of his absorption, I recall an incident connected with his 
studies of the fresh-water Polyzoa. At the time of this investiga¬ 
tion he spent a few weeks at my house in Maine. He had just 
come into possession of a new Wales stand. Now this microscope 
had the exasperating peculiarity of construction whereby the coarse 
adjustment turned in just the opposite direction from the universal 
way. In the quiet of our work I would hear an ominous crack. 
