334 SPENCER FULLERTON BAIRD 
He and Stimpson were among those whose high spirits 
made the little Megatherium Club a joyous assemblage. 
In 1859 he resolved to make an exploration of western 
British America and, by the codperation of the Audubon 
Club of Chicago, the Smithsonian, and the kind offices 
of Sir George Simpson, Governor of the Hudson Bay 
Territory, this was brought about. In April, 1859, he 
left Washington fitted out with the necessary articles for 
his journey and in May reached Fort William at the head 
of Lake Superior, and on June roth arrived at Norway 
House. Thence he proceeded on his journeys, which 
reached as far as Fort Yukon on the Yukon River, spend- 
ing more or less time at many of the H. B. Company’s 
trading posts, and it was not until the 17th of October, 
1862, that he reached Chicago on his return. 
The life of the Scots and Orkney men who composed 
the force of the Company in these remote and desolate 
trading posts, except in the period of trading and fetching 
in supplies, was most dull and tedious. In the more 
distant posts mails arrived once a year. They lived on the 
game of the country for the most part; flour, sugar and 
tea were luxuries enjoyed only for a short period when 
the bateaux with supplies arrived, and in many cases the 
trading for the whole year was done in a few days immedi- 
ately after the receipt of the trading goods. 
They were mostly literate, but very ignorant of the 
world outside of the wilderness and with little or nothing 
to occupy their minds except their duty to the Company. 
The advent of Kennicott,—young, joyous, full of news of 
the outside world, ready to engage in any of their expedi- 
tions or activities, and to take hardships without grum- 
bling,—was an event in their lives. When he taught them 
how to make birdskins and collect Natural History objects 
