82 SPENCER FULLERTON BAIRD 



naturalist, philologist, and geologist. Early in October 

 his uncle Penrose and brother William returned to Wash- 

 ington. On the 1 6th he received a letter informing him 

 he had been elected a member of the National Institute 

 at Washington. About this time he was shooting and 

 preserving an astonishing number of birds from the fall 

 migration, and had to add a new case to his series to 

 contain the skins. He walked 240 miles during October, 

 and, during the year 1842, 2100 miles. 



His future plans were of course under discussion and 

 he received a letter from his brother William generously 

 offering to bear the expense of a winter residence at 

 New York for the purpose of continuing the medical 

 lectures. 



In his reply (which is not preserved among the papers 

 at my disposal) Spencer must have expressed a distaste 

 for the medical career. The following extract from his 

 brother's reply is all that a search has revealed in regard 

 to the matter: 



From William M . Baird to Spencer F. Baird. 



WASHINGTON CITY, 23 November, 1842. 

 DEAR SPENCER, 



I received your letter and was sorry to find that you had a distaste 

 for a medical life. As, however, you have it, it perhaps would be 

 best not to pursue the study, for no one ever succeeds in a profession 

 of which he is not fond. As it is necessary for you to do something, 

 you ought to make up your mind. No means of livelihood, however, 

 is to be obtained in America from ornithology. . . 



genial and somewhat eccentric disposition, and noted for his gener- 

 osity to young students and lovers of nature, as exemplified in his 

 services to the youthful Baird. He was one of the early members of 

 the National Academy of Sciences. 



