178 THE NATURAI.IST OF THE ST. CROIX 



Sparrow that were marked by you which do not appear 

 to have the yellowish shade to the breast, but the 

 feathers of the tail are alike. There are lots of those 

 little Autumnal Warblers about the house. I suppose 

 they are the young of Black Poll — they are very abun- 

 dant. I have shot half a dozen to see if they were alike. ' ' 

 " The Goshawk's nest is in very good condition and I 

 wiU send it. I have no doubt Dr. Brewer will have a 

 nice visit. Give him all the eggs he wants if he wiU 

 only finish up another part of his Oology — ten or twelve 

 years for a part is slow business. He must hurry up or 

 we shall all be dead before we know anything about eggs. 

 I am sending some things to Wallace. I want to get a 

 few Deer or Caribou heads fixed to give away. I only 

 want a few but I want good ones; I don't like so much 

 trash." Writing December 18, 1869, he says : "I add 

 three birds new to my list this year — Florida Gallinule, 

 Purple Gallinule and Black Vulture. I also hope to add 

 Lincoln's Finch, but I cannot tell till I see your speci- 

 mens. These were taken at Grand Manan." Writing 

 from Milltown, July 26, 1870, he gives this description of 

 a new duck : 



I told, or wrote you, some years ago, of shooting several small 

 ducks I could not understand ; I concluded they were in young 

 plumage and did not save them. Saturday I shot one female in 

 full plumage, as she had with her a flock of nine chicks. When I 

 shot her, I thought it a Wood Duck or Teal, and only shot one 

 chick, as I did not suppose it was anything new. I hare mounted 

 the old duck and chick, and wish you could tell me its name ; I 

 have not looked at any books for its name as I don't know where 

 to look. Its size is about the Euddy Duck, perhaps a little smaller ; 

 its back, sides and breast a very bright ruddy brown, its neck 

 mottled a light white and brown and looks gray, head darker, 



