 In the parable , a graduate student is sent to noted biologist Louis Agassiz to complete his education , and Agassiz asks the student three times to describe a sunfish specimen . The student replies with , in turn , the common name of the fish , a brief summary of the species , and a four @-@ page essay on the species . Agassiz finally tells the student to " look at the fish " and " [ a ] t the end of three weeks the fish was in an advanced state of decomposition , but the student knew something about it . " The text of the parable itself spans 131 words over sixteen lines and is often reproduced in full when cited . 
