204 SPENCER FULLERTON BAIRD 



salamanders which I keep in tubs in my room. A friend gave her a 

 sugar fish some time ago, which she immediately insisted should be 

 put in a bottle. Her chief admiration is of ducks, one of which 

 mounted on wheels (wooden) and the size of life is her plaything 

 from morning till night. She spends her time chiefly in dragging 

 about this duck and "writing" ducks and the like with her pencil. 

 Now beat the above, if you can. I wish you had some call to 

 the South, (via Carlisle) and would bring Mrs. D. with you that we 

 might compare notes. May not some such opportunity occur before 

 a great while. Very truly yours, 



SPENCER F. BAIRD. 



From Jas. D. Dana to S. F. Eaird. 



NEW HAVEN, Jany. 8, 1850. 

 DEAR BAIRD,- 



I was delighted to hear of your happy home; for I can 

 now think of you as something more than a naturalist, having other 

 sources of pleasure besides snakes and lizards. The picture you draw 

 shows that you appreciate the blessings of a good wife and have a 

 treasure of a wife to appreciate. I shall not attempt to retaliate, but 

 ask you and yours to come and see us in our own house and home 

 for we have recently built us a home in a pleasant part of the city. 

 Will only say with regard to my better half that she claims to be 

 the only lady who has read through critically every page of my 

 volume on Zoophytes, 740 pages, quarto ! and as for little Fanny, 

 now 33^2 years old, she was just now prattling about "tistals" and 

 often has much to say of the "tustacean." 24 Master Eddie, hardly 

 two monthsold,is beginningto make frequent observations on Nature. 

 Allow me to present my kind regards to your lady and believe me 



Very truly yours, 

 JAS. D. DANA." 



24 Crystals and Crustaceans. Professor Dana was of course an 

 authority on both minerals and marine invertebrates. 



25 The result of the above correspondence was that the two ladies 

 were very much afraid of each other, and it was not until they met, 

 when they very speedily became good friends, that each discovered 

 that the other was not so profoundly learned that she need fear to 

 converse with her! (Note by Miss Lucy H. Baird.) 



