CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH 83 



The brothers were busy on a proposed list of the birds 

 of Cumberland County and were cataloguing their collec- 

 tion, which is referred to in the letter following: 



Spencer F. Baird to William M. Baird. 



CARLISLE, Nov. 28, 1842 

 DEAR WILL. 



I send you the list of Birds up to this date. The lot sent you 

 before numbered to 835. From this number to 847, I wrote myself 

 in order to bring all up to November. I hope to reach No. 900 by 

 the end of the year at least. 



I received your last, on Friday ult, after having returned late 

 from shooting, and had barely time to give Aunt Mary the skins 

 you spoke of she starting on Saturday Morning at 4 A M. I gave 

 her, The Lesser Red Poll shot here, and one of those brought from 

 New York. Also, Male & Female of the Largest, Big Spotted Hairy 

 Woodpecker, and Male of Small, little Spotted Hairy Do. Investi- 

 gate whether the Red poll, may not be a Larger? I can see no differ- 

 ence in the descriptions of the two species except ]^ an inch in size. 

 As to the Woodpeckers. There is more difference between the two 

 Males I send you, than many of Audubon's Species. ... I 

 will now proceed to give the ornithological news. 



Saturday 12. stuffed two Woodcock which Will Penrose shot 

 in cornfield towards creek. They were very fat. Monday 14. Shot 

 Barred Owl & 2 Butter Balls: of these last one was an old Male, 

 but though it was on the other side of the creek from me, the upper 

 mandible was entirely shot away as if two or three pellets had 

 gone together. 



15. Tuesday. Saw 8 Butter Balls, of which shot two, 20 Shel- 

 drakes & 6 whifflers. Saw a Long Eared owl; but could not get near 

 enough to shoot: Dan Biddle passed through on his way to Pittsburg. 

 16. A little snow. 17. Thursday. Saw two superb Bald Eagles at 

 Pike pond. 18. Friday Shot a winter Hawk in very much the same 

 plumage as the one shot by George Gibson & Will Penrose. 19. 

 Saturday. Saw great many ducks. A large flock of Mallards, Black 

 ducks, Whirries, Butter balls, Mergansers, Summer ducks, and per- 

 haps several other species in the pond at the dam. Then a flock of 

 Green Wing teal, then what appeared to be 20 Ruddy ducks, then large 



