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My report on Arctic zoology will not be published soon at this 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