14 The Chicago Academy of Sciences. 



enterprise, ever regardless of the necessarily attendant 

 dangers and privations. An enthusiastic, successful 

 and indefatigable worker in the Academy from its very 

 beginning, it is fitting that a few words regarding his 

 characteristics should be quoted from one who knew 

 him: "None who ever saw him will forget his high 

 spirits, which were always contagious, and the energy 

 with which he followed his favorite pursuit of animated 

 nature brought a glow to his cheek. Seeing him full of 

 life, fun and irrepressible energy, it was impossible to 

 resist an impulse of admiration; and one of his bitterest 

 opponents and rivals on this expedition confessed, long 

 afterward, that one glimpse of Kennicott in the field 

 gave him a totally new and different opinion of the 

 man. 'If I had known him sooner,' said he, 'we 

 should have been always friends.' ' 



Notwithstanding the great loss sustained in his 

 death, the Academy reaped a substantial harvest from 

 this enterprise. 



When Mr. Kennicott departed for the north the 

 care of the museum was intrusted to Dr. William 

 Stimpson, the secretary of the Academy, who was 

 elected curator for one year. Dr. Stimpson studied 

 under Agassiz, and had for years been in charge of the 

 department of invertebrate zoology in the Smithsonian 

 Institution. During this period he had made large col- 

 lections of invertebrate animals from all waters, and 

 had acquired such proficiency in this branch of natural 

 history that he was recognized as the leading Ameri- 

 can authority in this special line of research. The 

 Smithsonian Institution deposited with the Academy 

 a full series of the specimens that had been collected 

 by Dr. Stimpson, including specimens of his types. 

 They also paid him the rare honor of sending to the 

 Academy a large collection of its own specimens for his 

 determination. 



November 12, 1866, Dr. Stimpson was elected direc- 

 tor of the Academy, to fill the vacancy caused by the 



