CORRESPONDENCE 179 



throat light and lighter from the eyes to the bill ; bill wide like 

 Ruddy, but not so wide, and no turn up to the end — feet not so 

 large as the Ruddy, spot on wing about the size of Teal, dove 

 color or lavender edged with white, the white very narrow, under 

 wings white, tail dark, the under feathers white and brown, belly 

 gray mottled with brown. I don't think it any cross as it had 

 a flock of young and I have shot half a dozen years before ; its 

 eyes light hazel. Now dear Professor 1 have not found a new 

 bird for my list this year and I want this bird to be a red breasted 

 Teal, or some rare stranger as I have no doubt you will call it, 

 you are so clever; you will laugh at the description, but I don't 

 know any little duck whose wife it should be. It is not a Ruddy 

 Duck, or Ruffled Head, Green Wing or Blue Wing, and not larger 

 than either. I must try to get the male, if I get time to go up 

 again, which I hope to do before long. 



It is about this specimen of which he writes to Prof. 

 Baird from Boston, August 29 of the same year, when he 

 says : "I left the little stranger with Dr. Brewer. If 

 it should be the Tufted Duck it will be something new 

 to add to your book as breeding in Maine and I hope 

 you may describe it better than it has been done in the 

 ninth volume (Pacific Railroad Reports) or by Audubon." 

 On May 1, 1875, writing from New York to Prof. Baird 

 Mr. Boardman says : "I spent most of the day yesterday 

 at Central Park to see the boxes of New Zealand bird 

 skeletons opened. They were all mounted and we set 

 up two — they are monsters. The legs of the largest 

 were just at the top of Elliot's head. You must see 

 them. They have several duplicates, not quite entire, 

 which the Smithsonian should have. I asked for them 

 for you but got no answer, only that they should not sell 

 them to Ward or any other speculator. At Philadelphia, 

 where I spent two days, I called on Krider who left for 

 northern Minnesota for a couple of months' collecting, 



