1 8 8 7 ), ▁was ▁an ▁American ▁expl orer , ▁natural ist ▁and ▁illustr ator . ▁ ▁Gar rett ▁special ized ▁in ▁mal ac ology ▁and ▁ich thy ology . ▁ ▁Born ▁in ▁AL b any , ▁New ▁York , ▁his ▁family ▁moved ▁to ▁Middle bury , ▁Verm ont , ▁when ▁he ▁was ▁a ▁child . ▁ ▁Consider ing ▁himself ▁a ▁" V erm ont ian " ▁throughout ▁his ▁life , ▁he ▁went ▁to ▁sea ▁at ▁age ▁ 1 6 ▁( after ▁an ▁app rent ices hip ▁in ▁a ▁local ▁iron ▁found ry ) ▁mainly ▁to ▁get ▁away ▁and ▁collect ▁sea ▁shell s . ▁ ▁M aking ▁Hawai i ▁his ▁home ▁from ▁ 1 8 5 7 ▁- ▁ 1 8 6 3 , ▁he ▁was ▁initially ▁supported ▁and ▁spons ored ▁by ▁local ▁shell ▁collect ors ▁( including ▁the ▁f amed ▁male colog ist ▁William ▁Har per ▁Pe ase ) ▁who ▁adm ired ▁his ▁ze al ▁and ▁sense ▁of ▁advent ure ▁as ▁together ▁they ▁found ▁new ▁species ▁and ▁developed ▁a ▁keen ▁sense ▁for ▁scientific ▁details . ▁ ▁So on ▁they ▁were ▁publishing ▁papers ▁on ▁the ▁topic ▁of ▁con ch ology , ▁for ▁both ▁for ▁local ▁and ▁international ▁scient ists ▁- ▁mostly ▁under ▁Pe ase ' s ▁name . ▁ ▁Running ▁out ▁of ▁funds , ▁Andrew ▁Gar rett ▁approached ▁the ▁world - f am ous ▁ich thy ologist ▁Louis ▁Ag ass iz , ▁who ▁had ▁moved ▁from ▁his ▁native ▁Switzerland ▁to ▁head ▁the ▁new ▁department ▁of ▁Compar ative ▁Zo ology ▁at ▁Harvard ▁University