LIFE AT CARLISLE 115 



& perspiration, nevertheless I went right to the door of the lecture 

 room, where the Dr. just happened to be lecturing, and mounted 

 guard, gun in hand, till he was done. When he was done, all the 

 students came pouring out; the way they started, & edged to one side 

 when they saw me, was funny to behold, and when I stalked in to 

 where the Dr. & the faculty were standing together, they opened 

 their eyes wider. I rather guess they thought I was an Indian wanting 

 to shoot the President. I found the professors a very clever set of 

 men and dined & drank tea with them all round, with the Dr. with 

 whom I staid, in a room at the College. I returned on Wednesday. 

 I saw a good many Bewick's Wrens on the road over, but could only 

 shoot two, which were too much mangled to stuff. 



The fall birds are beginning to come about. Last Saturday I 

 killed two Little and one semipalmated Sandpiper at a Shot by old 

 Ruhl's; we killed also a Virginia and Carolina rail. The Virginia 

 is a very queer bird, being Sooty black on nearly all lower parts. 

 It is a male, with organs most too much developed, to be a bird of 

 the year. Writers do not mention this state of plumage at all. Many 

 birds have finished their moult, and are in their fall livery. We 

 have killed several young summer ducks out at the Pike Pond, 

 which had been raised there this season. They were nearly fully 

 grown, with the feathers not well developed yet. I saw about 360 

 Bank Swallows last Saturday. They were all along the creek & 

 spring; & at the Turnpike bridge at Middlesex, in number like a 

 cloud of the small gnats you see hovering on a summer evening. 

 Not one Rough-wing seen, I am afraid they have gone. 



In a letter from Spackman, he says he has for us adult Slate 

 colored Hawk, Broadwing Hawk, Night Heron, Fish Crow. He also 

 has a Prothonotary Warbler which he will give for a consideration. 



I received to day a notice of my election as corresponding mem- 

 ber of the Boston Society of Natural History for which of course I 

 returned my most fervent Thanks! 



Write soon & tell me all news 



Yours affect'ly 



SPENCER F. BAIRD. 



August 5th he left Carlisle to visit Dr. Melsheimer, 

 the noted entomologist, in York County about 20 miles 



