56 THE NATURAUST OF THE ST. CROIX 



Do you make auy note of the animals and reptiles? I just 

 received a paper from Eobert Kidgway about Thrush, etc. Have 

 you seen it? He makes two kinds of Purple Grackle; he is quite 

 a nice observer and scientific fellow. I should be pleased to see 

 your paper upon the rarer birds of Massachusetts. Some of your 

 rare birds are quite common here. Did you ever know the Purple 

 Galinule in New England before I secured one last summer? I 

 have also found the Blue Grosbeak, Prothonotary Warbler, and I 

 believe I wrote you the Tennessee Warbler was quite a common 

 warbler ; it breeds upon the ground. Many of your most common 

 birds are never found here or very rarely. Chewink and Brown 

 Thrush I never found; Bluebird, Oriole, Field Sparrow very rare, 

 etc., etc. As ever yours, 



Geo. a. Boardman. 



In the summer of 1869 Mr. Boardman visited Boston, 

 New York, Philadelphia and Washington several times 

 and in September of that year Prof. Baird visited him at 

 St. Stephen, remaining ten daj's. On this visit the two 

 went to Oak Bay, lycwy's Island, St. Andrews and other 

 places to dig for Indian relics in the collection of which 

 Prof. Baird was greatly interested. 



As interesting to science, mention is here made of the 

 great Saxby gale which visited the coast of Eastern Maine 

 and New Brunswick in the autumn of 1869. It took 

 place on the late afternoon and evening of October 4 of 

 that year, taking its name from Eieut. S. M. Saxby of 

 the royal navy of Great Britain, who had predicted its 

 occurrence and it took place on the exact date which 

 Lieut. Saxby had set for its coming. It was a cyclone 

 and accompanying tidal wave. It struck the coast of 

 Maine at Eastport, doing great damage at that place and 

 at Calais, while at St. Stephen, Fredericton, St. John 

 and Sackville, N. B., it caused great damage to the 

 coast and did havoc in the forests of the interior. In his 



