54 SPENCER FULLERTON BAIRD 



I forgot to say that Audubon tells me in his letter that our Leib's 

 Flycatcher, is Muscicapa Pusilla, and our new thrush is the one year 

 old plumage of the Wood thrush. What do you think of that? I 

 do not believe it. I would have written you a longer and more 

 connected letter but I am not well. All send love. Answer this soon. 



Yours affectionately 



SPENCER F. BAIRD. 



Spencer F. Baird to William M. Baird. 



CARLISLE, September 7 th 1841. 

 DEAR WILL, 



It seems ten chances to one that this letter will not reach you 

 before you are on your road home; however It may take its chance. 

 Every thing about Carlisle seems to say that Autumn is at hand, trees 

 changing color, cold nights, and hot days, together with birds coming 

 back from their northern summer abodes. There will be much game 

 this fall, more so perhaps than has been for many years. The field 

 plover still continue in the extreme abundance in which they have 

 been found all summer. They may be seen in flocks of twenty or 

 thirty at a time and there is no end to the small parties and single 

 ones. Reed birds are pretty plenty now along the spring. Will 

 Penrose and George Gibson shot thirteen the other day. I yesterday 

 heard of a large flock of Bull-Head Plover out at Bitner's place. 

 Pigeons are not very plenty. Adams has told me of several ducks 

 seen on the dam, & - I myself shot at a fine Mallard last week. 

 Tom says he yesterday saw a man with a big Salmon Breasted 

 "Merganser," I have stuffed two new birds since you have been 

 away, one a Black Tern, the other the Republican Swallow. Of the 

 latter I obtained two individuals last week in the Barracks' Meadow; 

 both young birds. The hawk we shot last spring cannot be the Young 

 male Cooper's Hawk as Sam Miller shot and brought me a bird 

 of the latter kind, decidedly different from this bird. Sam's bird 

 is half inch longer, tail much-more rounded, proportions of wing 

 and feet different, & color very much so. George Knox sent me a 

 fine female Slate colored Hawk, the other day. It had a dove in 

 its claws when shot; & was 13/4 by 24^2 inches. You can have no 

 idea of the discoveries I have been making in the "Fossil organic 

 remains" department about Carlisle. On Clem MacFarlane's old 



