52 SPENCER FULLERTON BAIRD 



Some days ago I wrote to Dr. Morton telling him of the sculls 

 I had for him, & among others one of (a mud turtle) Emys Geographica 

 &, in an answer received a day or two after, he is very anxious for 

 me to send him a stuffed one for the Academy, which I will do as 

 soon as I can catch one. Sam tells a wild tale of a turtle which he 

 saw in Hay's dam, with a head as big as his two fists, & a tail as thick 

 as his arm, & about two or three feet long. 



Write soon again & let me know all about the Patent office 

 collection & whether the artist there is John K. Townsend of Phila. 

 If you have opportunity I wish you could copy the descriptions of 

 Pennsylvania Reptiles from Holbrook, & send them to me. There 

 will not be many I presume. Mother says to give some satisfactory 

 account of yourself when next you write, what you are about, &c. &c. 



Yours affectionately 



SPENCER F. BAIRD. 



I have just returned from a walk to Stewart's Gap & there- 

 abouts. All these fields on top of the mountain are full of strawberries, 

 some of them of the tallest kind. I ate more to day than I have done 

 for the last five years put together. While in the middle of one of 

 the fields I saw a large bird coming near, which proved to be a fine 

 Raven. It would not come nearer than about 60 yards & I having 

 none but No 6 shot in my gun did not fire, thinking it would come 

 closer to me. The people of the tavern say that they have been 

 about all spring. I also saw two large Buzzards, name unknown. 

 Also a Bewick's crow & Blue Grosbeck: but could get shot at neither; 

 killed another Heterodon much like the first one killed. 



S. F. B. 



Spencer F. Baird to William M. Baird. 



CARLISLE, August 19. 1841. 

 DEAR BROTHER, 



I had intended writing to you by Uncle Penrose but did not do 

 so, as he went away before I thought he would. There is very little 

 news afloat in Carlisle. Nobody talks of any thing but the fate of 

 the bank bill, the whigs are as mad as fire Lieutenant Carlton on 

 his return from Fort Gibson about a month ago brought with him 

 several objects of Natural History which he gave to me and promised 



