Response to Samuel Scudder's "Take This Fish and Look at It"

I quite enjoyed this narrative. I thought Scudder had an elaborate word choice and nice sentence fluency. His ability to recall small details is extremely impressive. He wrote about the fish and Professor Agassiz fifteen years after experiencing the story told. Yet, he could recall the dialogue between him and his professor and the details of the alcohol, such as the putrid smell of the alcohol the fish was in. Obviously Agassiz's training worked. I honestly wish my attention to detail was as precise. I guess I'll go stare at a fish several hours per day.
    How did Agassiz think of this teaching method? Did he learn it from another? Did he stare at an object of some sort for as long a time? Was the method extremely symbolic for some inspirational quote like "It's the little things in life that matter"? Anyway, I liked the abnormality of Agassiz's teaching method. He was very straightforward about the directions, but allowed Scudder to discover his own way to find a solution of sorts. The method was obviously very memorable as well. Yet, it was probably excruciatingly boring too. Imagine staring at a fish for hours and trying to find new details about it. Scudder must have had good concentration skill to begin with, because I would probably have started daydreaming 20 minutes into it or less. I respect those skills.