1850 TO 1865 309 
outrivalled in abundance Egypt’s plague of fleas. Next to Burlington, 
Vt. where my family happens to be and after three days there, took 
Gen. Churchill’s servant to assist, and away to Canada, Montreal 
first and next to Quebec. Here I stopped three days and made many 
most interesting acquaintances. . . . I found the Leucisci to 
thin out wonderfully at Quebec. In Quebec and Montreal I found 
some ornithological novelties: a rare owl, the Hawk owl, willow 
grouse, Barrow’s Golden Eye, and I think a quite new Circus, near 
European species. 
From Canada I returned to Lake Champlain, this time to the 
village of Elizabethtown, situated eight miles from the lake at West- 
port, and where Mrs. Baird, as you will remember, spent her widowed 
summer. Here I found a most interesting region. An area of many 
square miles gave only 5 species of fish: three quite new, Catostomus, 
Leuciscus, and Cottus, and two old: Salmo fontinalis, and Percopsis 
guitatus. At this town I experienced the only accident of the season, 
in being pitched out of a buggy, and bumped so “severe”’ as to be 
kept in the house for three days. I had my revenge, however, on the 
refractory buggy, as this was smashed all to pieces. 
Well, as I said, I got home here, after traveling over 5,000 miles, 
without any other accident than the preceding. I found a pretty 
tolerable (quo intolerable) pile of work on my hands, in the way of 
accounts to settle, piles of books to read, and acknowledge, &c., &c. 
As to the Nat. Hist. Collection, there was no end to them; boxes, 
bales, kegs, cans, &c. Many from individual correspondents; more 
from the exploring parties. The collections from this source are 
beginning to come in strong; and much now is expected. Nothing, 
however, from the scene of your operations (proposed) in Missouri. 
I have been busy most of the day in opening a lot of the most bad- 
smelling reptiles from H. Smith you ever saw. 
A thousand thanks for your renewed assurances, and promises 
of assistance on the part of yourself and Dr. Barry. I want you to 
do all you can. Will you not bring to a practical realization our 
plan of having Racine a centre of operation for all of Wisconsin, 
Illinois and Iowa that can be reached. I hope you will open up 
correspondence with as many points as possible, so as to secure a 
complete exploration of the country between Lake Michigan and the 
Mississippi. The Lake country, especially, needs a full exploration, 
