fe) IN BRIGHTEST AFRICA 
animals of Wisconsin, the muskrat group to be the 
first of the series. This suggestion was more toler- 
ated than encouraged when it was first made, but I 
went as far as I could go with my dream and before I 
left there I finished the muskrat group, as I did most 
of my early experiments, in spite of the opposition of 
the authorities. It was the old, old story of starting a 
thing and having to give it up because of lack of sup- 
port. But my idea won eventually. It was only a 
short time until my friend Wheeler was made director 
of the museum and from then on there was full 
sympathy for the plan. This was an entering wedge, 
and since that time group after group has been added, 
until now that museum has a magnificent series. 
Wheeler, who had encouraged me to go to Mil- 
waukee, also was the cause of my leaving. One year, 
while he was director, he went to Europe, and while 
abroad had a talk with Sir William Flower of the 
British Museum, in which Flower intimated that he 
would like me to go there. So I planned to quit 
Milwaukee and to go to London. However, I didn’t 
immediately get any farther than Chicago. I stopped 
there and happened to go into the Field Museum of 
Natural History. It was then housed in the old art 
gallery of the Columbian Exposition. Professor 
Daniel G. Eliot was its curator of zodlogy. He of- 
fered me some taxidermy contracts on the spot and 
I accepted. While I was doing them he suggested 
that I go with him on an expedition to Africa. We 
started in 1896. | 
When we got back from that trip I continued at the 
