330 SPENCER FULLERTON BAIRD 



ceedings of the Acad. You will of course give these with any amount 

 of additional detail in your book. 



There is one objection to this arrangement, that these govern- 

 ment collections will necessarily be sent out of the city. Still I pre- 

 sume you will not want them a great while, and could probably have 

 them back here in a month or two; could you not? 



In arranging some specimens, I have found a skeleton of Trionyx 

 from Allegheny river, Pa. and one from Miss, which when alive were 

 about a foot long in the shell. Would you like to see these? 



Let me know at once what you think of the plan above proposed. 

 There are many new and curious things in it; Testudo from the Rio 

 Grande, but very puzzling; others from the Gila, Arkansas, &c., &c. 

 Emys of Rio Grande, Brazos, California, and other things too numer- 

 ous to mention. 



Very truly and sincerely yours, 



S. F. BAIRD. 



From Spencer F. Baird to Mrs. J. W. T. Gardiner, Fort Tejon, Cal. 



Feb. 1 6, 1856. 

 MY DEAR SISTER ANNIE: 



There was never anything like the cold of the present season in 

 Washington excellent sleighing for six weeks at a time, thermometer 

 down to ten and twelve degrees below zero for days, and all that. 

 Yesterday they took a large passenger car to Alexandria on the ice! 



I am sorry to learn that Capt. Gardiner has had a recurrence of 

 his rheumatism. I thought California was a panacea for such troubles. 

 You have not given us his opinion of the baby, whether it differs 

 from all babies that ever were before, or will be again. I suppose 

 it is almost too soon to set him (the baby) at catching snakes for his 

 uncle. 



Much obliged to Capt. Gardiner for his kind wishes in regard 

 to getting some specimens from about Fort Tejon for me. There 

 is no locality from which they would be more acceptable. We have 

 a few things brought by Lt. Williamson from that vicinity, just 

 enough for us to wish for more. Would not your surgeon do some- 

 thing for us, as so many army surgeons have done before. What I 



