RK-337

[printed letterhead] No. [written] 784 [printed] Smithsonian Institution, [written] 1 [printed] Washington, D. C. [written] June 7' [printed] 18 [written] 57

My Dear Robert

The mice came safely, and proved to be good specimens of the Mus aureolus of Aud. Bach. Mus Missouriensis is much larger with tail not longer than a[triple underline]rvicola

I will send Mr. Thomas the books. We will second you arrangement with Mr. Thomas of course. If there is any thing we specially want I know you on the part of the University, will let us have it. leaving you the bulk of the remainder.

You could not get a better man than Lapham to label your plants. No one here or east of the mts. would do it better. You can make exchanges better in Europe than here of plants. Would not

Lapham undertake to arrange the specimens for exchange

I think you had better bring with you all the small birds, land birds, at any rate, leaving at home, or bringing lists of the Raptores, and the Water Birds. I want to look over them myself for edification, as I shall then be making up my report on birds.

I think Ostensacken will give you Russian Diptera in exchange for yours. at any rate he will give you American.

On the whole if I were you I would not worry about this matter of exchange. you are not too much in a hurry about it. There will be ample time when you come on to arrange matters, and much better than you can do by correspondence Saussure will certainly give you Hymenoptera in exchange for yours

[printed letterhead] No. [written] 784 [printed] Smithsonian Institution, [written] 2 [printed] Washington, D. C. 18

[written] Collect spiders. Some body will work them up. Indeed Dr. W. A. Hammond of the Army is now at them

By all means get large numbers of good shells, of all species. They exchange very well in Europe. You can exchange them with several Georgian and New York operators too.

I dont think it will pay well to return to S. Illinois in the fall. You will have got all the reptiles, fish and birds of any peculiarity. Besides you should make arrangements with some one there to keep on collecting for you, and thus be relieved from the necessity of staying or returning. The farther to

the Northwest you go in summer the greater variety you will have. If you can stand the expense, I would certainly try Minnesota, and the distance should be limited by your time and means. The vicinity of St. Paul would give animals of all kinds different from those you are accustomed to. But the most desirable region is that of Red River of the North. This is the only stream in our territory that empties into Hudsons Bay or the Arctic Ocean: the fishes are entirely unknown, and though doubtless many are similar to those of the Mississippi yet there must be many new ones, of different form, Many trout belong to these waters, not yet detected in our Territory. Several peculiar snakes, lizards, & frogs belong even fifty miles north

[printed letterhead] No. [written] 784 [printed] Smithsonian Institution, [written] 3 [printed] Washington, D. C. 18

[written] of St. Paul. We have plenty of good correspondents in Minnesota, at Princeton, Benton Co, Lac qui Parle, St. Joseph, Pembina Co, at Pembina, at Can Lake, Red Lake, at Ojibbeway &. Even one at Red River Settlement. Any or all will aid you as much as possible. You might go to St. Paul and there determine where next. It would be a glorious thing to exhaust Southern Illinois and Norther Minnesota in one season.

If you go, the sooner the better, as you cannot get much more in the South, and the Minnesota Collections would be infinitely more novel than Alabama or others south of Cairo.