LIFE IN WASHINGTON 239 



wilder regions of the North or West or the Spanish- 

 American countries, he was always ready to execute com- 

 missions, some of which required considerable expenditure 

 of time and care. Papers and books were forwarded, 

 sometimes at the request and expense of the distant 

 collector; and quite frequently superfluous magazines and 

 papers, which had come to my father personally, were 

 passed on to them. This mailing of pamphlets was 

 largely done by my mother when in sufficiently good 

 health. 



"Of course, his own opportunities of collecting were 

 crowded out by this larger work of superintending and 

 engineering the amassing of material by every means, 

 but his summer vacations were, at any rate in the earlier 

 part of his connection with the Smithsonian, made to 

 aid in the matter as far as possible, although personally 

 as I have said, he had but little opportunity. His large 

 correspondence, even where not originating in any matter 

 bearing on collections, would often be turned in that 

 direction. No one ever wrote him a courteous letter 

 asking for advice or aid in any way who did not receive 

 a courteous and prompt response, even in the days before 

 he had a stenographer, and when letters had to be written 

 almost entirely by his own hand. Even where the corre- 

 spondence closed with the original letter and reply to it 

 this was the case; but wherever it was possible to direct 

 the enquiring mind to the investigation of a locality 

 promising any result in the way of Indian remains or 

 natural history collections, a hint was given which, in 

 many cases, brought a return. Even if the writer himself 

 were not a probable auxiliary, there would be a question 

 if a convenient opportunity occurred, as to whether he 

 had any neighbors interested in these matters who would 



