72 
THE NATURALISTS’ COMPANION 
PROF. LOUIvS JOHN RUDOFF AGASSIZ. 
* GASSIZ, the greatest of modern nat¬ 
uralists, was born in Motiers, in the 
__ canton of Friburg, Switzerland, on 
the 28th of May, 1807. His early education 
was received at home and in the public 
schools ; later he studied at the universities 
of Zurich, Pleidelberg and Munich. In 
1833, after the death of Cuvier, he was ap¬ 
pointed professor at Neufchatel, where he 
remained for thirteen years. The extensive 
and valuable zoological museum in the col¬ 
lege there was founded and largely collect¬ 
ed by him. While in Munich he became 
acquainted with Martins and Spix, the 
well-knowm travelers in Brazil ; and when 
Spix died his collection of 116 species of 
fish collected in Brazil was left in the care 
of Agassiz. This led him to study ichthy¬ 
ology more closely. Agassiz next undertook 
a systematic arrangement of the fresh-water 
fishes found in Central Europe, and at the 
same time devoted his attention to the fos¬ 
sil remains of fishes. During several visits 
to England, Agassiz made himself well ac¬ 
quainted with the collections of fossils in 
that country ; and in 1844 published a mon¬ 
ogram on fossil fishes found in the old red 
sandstone of the Devonian s^’steni. Agassiz 
next turned his attention to the mollusca. 
His works on Glaciers excited great inter- | 
est. In 1846110 came to this country, where 
he was appointed to a professorship in Har¬ 
vard College, in Boston. In "Outlines of 
Comparative Physiology” Agassiz upholds 
the doctrine of the successive creation of 
higher organized beings on the earth. ‘ ‘An 
Essay on Classification,” by Agassiz, was 
published in London, in 1859; and a "Jour¬ 
ney in Brazil,” in 1868. During the latter 
part of these years he was appointed a non¬ 
resident profe.ssor and leciurer in the Cor¬ 
nell University, Ithaca, N. Y., and along 
with Count Portales, was intrusted with tlie 
dredging operations in the investigation of 
the Gulf Stream, undertaken by the Ameri¬ 
can Government in 1871. His last work 
was the establishment of a School of Natu¬ 
ral History, on the island of Penikese, pre¬ 
sented to him by Mr. John Anderson. He 
died December 14th, 1873. 
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TAXI]JEMMY. 
A serial 011 prcpa'inir and pres'-rvin*)' "iiiinals, biids, 
reptiks. insects, , etc. 
FROGS AND TOADS. 
Skinnls'G.— The uioutli is opened, 
and the first vertebra oftlie neck is 
ent. The whole inside of the month 
is cut out with scissors. The two 
jaws are next raised np, and the 
skin is pushed liack with the tingers 
