374 SPENCER FULLERTON BAIRD 



Smithsonian gives us a series of the Arctic collections made by you 

 as well as by myself. When any of you come to Chicago you will 

 find yourselves not unknown there. 



I have often promised that the time would come when I should 

 have it in my power to see that each and all of you got full credit for 

 his collecting and work in natural history. I think when our museum 

 labels are examined and our published catalogues seen you will find 

 I was not wrong in my promises. 



Indeed your names are already on record in many a public 

 museum in Europe as well as America. 



From the kindness and friendship which you have all of you 

 shown me I have no doubt you will be quite willing that our Chicago 

 museum shall have a part of your future collections, and I beg that 

 you will bear in mind this additional good that you can do by your 

 operating in Arctic zoology. Should you be kind enough to wish to 

 aid me in the matter of the Chicago museum you have only to indicate 

 this to Prof. Baird and myself. All specimens had best be sent to 

 the Smithsonian Institution in the first place, that they may be 

 catalogued and entered on the books there, after which those which 

 are furnished to us can be sent from there to Chicago. By this course 

 the specimens will be credited to you by the Smithsonian as well as 

 by our Chicago museum, and at the same time they will be used for 

 scientific purposes twice. 



You may be sure that I will see that full credit is given you for 

 everything. 



For the first three years I shall spend the summers in Chicago 

 and the winters mostly at the Smithsonian, and some little time with 

 Prof. Agassiz at Cambridge, as he has complimented me by expressing 

 the wish that I should work upon his collection of mammals. 



Gradually as our Chicago museum assumes larger proportions 

 and requires my more constant presence, I will remain entirely in 

 Chicago. I must now study all departments in natural history in 

 order to see that each receives due care in our museum, but my own 

 original investigations will be mostly upon vertebrates, especially 

 mammals, and perhaps somewhat on fishes. 



My report on Arctic zoology will not be published soon at this 

 rate. The delay however will make it the better, as I shall be able 

 to determine many doubtful points by what you send out this summer 



