said should go immediately to the Islands for his health, and to whom he offered free passage by the Ganymede. To leave the elder Lee with only the half-invalid Shepard was to leave him virtually alone, which Edwards was too generous to do. Overcome by Lee's persuasions, he went back to the Mission disappointed, and Daniel Lee proceeded to the Islands. On this ship was Nuttall, the botanist, who had spent a year in studying the flora of the Pacific coast. The previous winter both Nuttall and Townsend had visited the Hawaiian group in Wyeth's ship, the May Dacre. The naturalists were now separating, Townsend to remain another year in Oregon, and his friend to go to California by way of the Islands. All these people travelled freely on the fur company's vessels without charge. [1]
- ↑ Townsend left Oregon in November 1835 in the company's bark Columbia, Captain Royal, bound to England by way of the Islands. He expresses regret at leaving Vancouver. 'I took leave,' he says, 'of Dr McLoughlin with feelings akin to those with which I should bid adieu to an affectionate parent; and to his fervent "God bless you, sir, and may you have a happy meeting with your friends," I could only reply by a look of the sincerest gratitude. Words are inadequate to express my deep sense of the obligations I feel under to this truly generous and excellent man.' Nar., 253. Townsend was a member of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. The idea of joining Wyeth's expedition across the continent being suggested to him by Nuttall, who had determined to do so, was eagerly seized upon, the thought of visiting unexplored regions being irresistible. Townsend seems to have been very industrious, and was assisted frequently by the scholarly gentlemen of the Hudson's Bay Company. He gives a list of the quadrupeds and birds of the Oregon territory, many of which were new to science. Among the former are the dusky wolf, Canus nubilus; two species of hare, Lepus, Townsendii and Lepus artemesia; a third new species is called Nuttall's little hare, Lepus Nuttallii. Two new species of marmot, Spermophilus Townsendii and a small pouched marmot not named; also two of the meadow-mouse species, Arvicola Townsendii and Arvicola Oregonii. Several new species of squirrel are named; downy squirrel, Sciurus lanuginosus and Scurius Richardsonii; little ground-squirrel, Tamias minimus and Tamias Townsendii; and Oregon flying-squirrel, Pteromys Oregonemis. Of moles there is Scalops Townsendii, given as new; and a new shrew-mouse undescribed; besides two species of bats, Plecotus Townsendii, or great-eared bat, and a small bat undescribed. Townsend's list of birds found in Oregon is long, and many of the species were new to naturalists. They were the chestnut-backed titmouse, Parus rufescens; brown-headed titmouse, Parus Minimus; mountain mocking-bird, Orpheus montanus; white-tailed thrush, not described; Townsend's thrush, Ptiliogonys Townsendii; Morton's water-ouzel, Cinclus Mortonii; Columbian water-ouzel, Cinclus Townsendii; Tolmie's warbler, Sylvia Tolmei, named in compliment to Dr Tolmie of the Hudson's Bay Company; hermit warbler, Sylvia occidentalis; black-throated gray warbler, Sylvia nigrescent; Audubon's warbler, Sylvia Auduboni; Townsend's warbler, Sylvia Townsendii; ash-headed warbler, not described; western bluebird, Siaha occidentalis;
