74 SPENCER FULLERTON BAIRD 



present a well finished appearance. I should like very much to 

 tumble over and examine the rough skins, but nothing is allowed to 

 be touched, and the room in which they are deposited, separate 

 from the exhibition room, is kept locked and persons admitted but 

 for a few minutes. Dr. Leibs' birds are beautifully preserved and 

 mounted; most of them looking as to position, eyes, etc., perfectly 

 lifelike and natural. It is not so complete a collection of the birds 

 of Pennsylvania as ours; although he has birds procured in Pennsyl- 

 vania which we have not, the big loggerhead shrike amongst the rest. 

 He has a female hawk there, precisely in appearance like the Astur (?) 

 we got this spring. It appears to be about three inches longer, 

 but exactly like in plumage. It is marked Astur Cooperii. If it is 

 marked correctly, and I have very little doubt it is, Audubon is 

 wrong in making his male Cooper's hawk the same length with the 

 female. Perhaps he may have corrected this in his smaller work. 



From William M. Baird to Spencer F. Baird. 



WASHINGTON, Aug. 24, 1841. 



I have been at the Patent office once since the collection of the 

 National Institute was moved upstairs. It was in the basement 

 and the damp was very injurious to many of the articles, but the 

 room now is very well situated, immensely large, very handsome 

 and well lighted. 



From William M. Baird to S. F. Baird. 



WASHINGTON, January yth, 1842. 



The collection of the National Institute increases in the most 

 astonishing manner. The collection of reptiles is immense; there 

 is ditto minerals; very large birds, ditto; both of the South Sea 

 expedition, of which some are mounted and set up daily, also of our 

 own birds which they buy in the market whenever an opportunity 

 offers, and set up in the most splendid manner; besides having large 

 numbers presented. They will no doubt get a pretty good appropria- 

 tion from Congress. If this is accomplished, they will no doubt get 

 on even more rapidly. 



