Item 23744info Maine Historical Society/MaineToday Media
The 1926 trip was one of MacMillan's shorter expeditions, lasting three months.
The purpose was to collect various animal, bird, fish, and geological specimens for scientific study and exhibition at the Field Museum in Chicago.
MacMillan noted at the farewell ceremony that the expedition “was favored with brilliant scientific men.”
Scientists on the voyage included Alfred Weed, ichthyologist for the Field Museum; Alfred C.M. Martin, a geologist from Cornell University; Charles S. Sewell, a botanist from Wiscasset; and Novio Bertrand, a taxidermist from Chicago.
One of the specimens collected was a 1,500-pound walrus, shot in Melville Bay. It was to be reconstructed for display in the Field Museum.
