362 SPENCER FULLERTON BAIRD 
By the way, please observe especially the habits of the lemmings 
and different Arvicole. Which ones are gregarious? 
I find among the collections here specimens of the little striped 
ground squirrel (Tamias 4-vittatus) marked by Ross “ Fort Good Hope.” 
I can hardly believe it possible that it is really found there,and am 
inclined to believe these came from Fort Liard and were mis-labelled 
like other things by Mr. Ross. Can you tell anything about it? 
So far North as you are you will find quite a different set of fresh 
water shells from those near Slave Lake, and it is very desirable 
indeed that you should collect as many as possible. Please try and 
get the Eskimos to collect sea shells in large numbers—get perfect 
ones if possible. These shells are very easily collected and packed, 
and are of great interest. Pray when the alcohol comes, go heavily 
into the fishes of the larger species, get small specimens and skin 
them, leaving the head entire, and pop ’em into alcohol. Put in the 
quite small ones “toute ronde,” or at least after cutting a hole in the 
abdomen. 
It would be well to keep dry skins of some of the largest of each 
species. 
I believe you will find the fish give as rich returns as anything 
you can collect. By watching the fall fisheries and getting the Indians 
to bring you the different kinds found in small lakes, you will find far 
more than you yourself suspect the existence of. Of course any 
marine fishes you can get will be of prime interest. 
Please don’t neglect the marine shells and crustacea. 
Of your earlier collections the fossils you got were of very great 
interest indeed. They, with the few that Ross and I got have proved 
several important facts in geology hitherto unknown. 
Mr. Meek (who is probably the best paleontologist in America, 
and who has had referred to him all the knotty points by the Canadian 
as well as American geologists) has expressed very great interest in 
the Palzontology of R. District as exhibited by these collections. 
There are several new species, but these are of much less interest 
than the knowledge of the various formations that the specimens 
sent afford. 
Mr. Meek has written you some suggestions that may be useful 
to you and you will find him very appreciative of and grateful for 
anything in his specialty that you can send the Smithsonian. He 
