248 THE NATURALIST OF THE ST. CROIX 



Calais, Maine, February 17, 1885. 

 Friend Wood: 



I was glad to hear from you after so long a time and was 

 quite interested in your paper about Mr. Fitch being the first 

 steamboat builder. I remember of reading in some of my old 

 books something of the kind. It was in the reports of the Com- 

 missioner of Patents for the year 1859, with a picture of Fitch's 

 steamboat. The account is from page 526 to 544, but I suppose 

 in your researches you have seen all this. If you have not I 

 should be glad to send you the book as it would be interesting to 

 you. Poor Fitch had a hard time. He should have a good monu- 

 ment to be remembered by, as he was a wonderful man and 

 Robert Fulton has always had the credit for steamboat invention 

 which belonged to Mr. Fitch. About the same thing was done by 

 Morse in telegraphy. Prof. Henry was the inventor much more 

 than Prof. Morse but Morse got all the credit and the money. 



1 am glad you have not lost your interest in Natural History 

 and hope some time we may meet and talk over matters. I often 

 go to see the folks at Central Park Museum. They are very nice 

 people and I think they have about the nicest collection I see 

 any where. I like it as well as the National Museum at Washing- 

 ton. There is also a very fine collection at Cambridge. I am so 

 often west and south I see them all most every year. I have not 

 seen so much of the Academy folks at Philadelphia since Cassin's 

 death and many of the young folks I do not know. I called to see 

 Mr. Krider. He is a nice old fellow and used to have a good col- 

 lection of skins and eggs but now is too old to go to his office to 

 do much. He has a son who does part of his bird work. I always 

 find a nice set of fellows at the Smithsonian, those who have been 

 in government employ in most all parts of the country and are 

 good collectors. They usually all get in in winter except the 

 Alaskan or Hudson Bay folks who usually remain up for several 

 years. 



Since I wrote you we have been having quite cold weather, 

 snow now quite deej), but February has only about ten days more 

 and in March we expect to have warm days once in a while. I 

 like the orange groves much better than the snow banks and am 

 beginning to wish I was in Florida or California where I could be 

 out in the woods. 



