MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY,
CAMBRIDGE, MARCH 15, 1865.
Dear Sir: – In a few days I shall leave Cambridge to start on a journey to Brazil, chiefly to study the metamorphoses of the Fishes of the Amazon and the drift phenomena of the Andes. During my absense, my son, Alexander Agassiz, is entrusted with the care of the Museum, and I take the liberty of bespeaking for him your kindness and confidence.
Very truly yours,
L. Agassiz.
November 20/65
My dear Sir
I have just finished putting up for you a return collection for your valuable invoice and I have shipped today to New York Company Richard Boas the Agents of the Hamburg packers 2 boxes containing books and specimens. I have taken account of your wishes and send what I could most easely get at a very good collection of Holconoti representing all known species except 4 and I have taken good care to send you as nice specimens as possible and to find you males as well as females when possible. All the Embiotocoids I have collected myself when in California at San Francisco. I have also added a few species of || Etheostomoids from our freshwaters which I suppose will be acceptable to you as it is a family peculiar to North America. I have also sent you a specimen of each species of Lepidosteus we have, Amia (I have added a young specimen of Lepidosteus for Prof. Gegenbaur) the only one we could spare at present. Will you be kind enough to give him that as well as a couple of books which I have put into your package for him and tell him that I am at work separating the Selachians and hope if not too much other work interferes to be able to send him a lot of them as has been previous. The Catalogue of Fishes I have put in with the specimens and it is simply a number of the Bulletin No 1, labelled as Catalogue with the species marked and which have been sent you. The Echinoderms I senda are all labelled with the specimens except those in alcohol but as of all theseb you have dried ones also you will have || no difficulty in identifying them. Of Holothuroids I send you: Pentacta frondosa (6), Cuvieria squamata Maine (3), Caudina (4) arenata Stimpson Mose Bay. I did not send any Ophiuridae as you said nothing about them but could easely send you a dozen or more species in alcohol if you desire them. As I send our Illustrated Catalogue of them let me know what you desire and I will put up for you what we can spare. In the way of Books I have sent you a set of fathers Contributions Volumes 1–4. 3 papers of mine on Embryology of Echinoderms and other on Annelids, Fishes, Polyps as well as a copy of my seaside studies. I have also added father’s 1st papers on our Medusae which may be useful to you and in my next box I shall send you my North American Acalephae || which has not yet come from the binders hand and for which I will not delay the boxes.
As I wrote in my last [letter] what we desire particularly are well identified species we have no scientific tradition in this country, must get our ten named collections as fast as we can. Our wants lie especially in Annelids, in Ascidians, in Acalephae (Hydroids), Bryozoa and all these classes which it is so difficult to obtain satisfactory descriptions. A collection of namedc Annelids from the German Ocean and the Mediterranean would be highly acceptable to us as well as of any of the Campanularians, Tubularians, Sertularians of both Seas. These could be valuable for comparison with our own species many of which I have no doubt will prove identical with European forms. Hoping that this first invoice of mine will reach you in good condition and prove satisfactory
I remain very truly yours
Alex. Agassiz
Prof. Ernst Haeckel
Jena
a eingef.: send; b eingef.: these; c eingef.: named