ii8 SPENCER FULLERTON BAIRD 



Charles Churchill joined Baird in many of his excur- 

 sions, they soon became intimate friends, and young 

 Churchill studied Algebra and Geometry with Baird as 

 tutor. On the iQth of November a fire occurred at the Col- 

 lege Museum in which the collections were much injured. 



Mary Churchill had been staying with the Baird's, but 

 about three weeks after his arrival she went South with the 

 Colonel, leaving her mother and brother at Carlisle. Not 

 long afterward Spencer began to correspond with her, and 

 on New Year's Day, 1845, received his first letter from her. 



From Spencer F. Baird to William M. Baird. 



CARLISLE, Jan. 13, 1845 

 DEAR WILL, 



About a week ago I wrote you a letter, which seemed so flat 

 when I read it over that I was ashamed to send it. I do not know 

 whether the present one will be any better, I however will try to 

 make it so. I have nothing of any particular interest to communicate, 

 no narrative of rare or curious birds shot, or procured, no queer 

 varmints, no nothing. My time has been principally occupied with 

 study about as follows. In the morning Italian and German. From 

 n to 12 Draw Heads, feet, wings, tails, & Sterna. After this at 

 synonyms of our birds, in the various works of Vieillot, Wilson, 

 Audubon, Bonaparte, Nuttall, Jenyns, Jardine, &c. Algebra & 

 geometry in the afternoon. German for a while in the evening 

 with M'Clintock, & the rest of the time reading, writing &c. I have 

 been getting my room fixed up in grand style for study & work, 

 the partition side of the room filled up with shelves, large enough 

 to hold all the school books, with a desk to study on. In this way 

 I am rid of the necessity of having so many lumbering shelves, &c., 

 and the room has now an air of stern simplicity most beautiful to 

 behold. I have just finished the rough draft of another little article 

 for the Gettysburg Linnaean journal, a list of the trees & shrubs of 

 Cumberland Co. which will probably be published in the February 

 number. The only birds of any importance procured since I last 

 wrote are three Red tailed hawks, two Red, one Barred Owl, one 



