CORRESPONDENCE 199 



Another winter I hope to come prepared to go to the head of the 

 river and camp out and have a regular hunt. I have been at most 

 every place on the St. Johns river — enjoyed myself very nicely. 

 Wish you could spend a month or two visiting this very interest- 

 ing part of Uncle Sam's farm. Hoping Mrs. Baird is all well 

 long before this and with kind regards to her and Lucy, 

 I am very truly yours, 



Geo. a. Boardman. 

 P. S. Please excuse the pencil letter as I have no ink. I could 

 give Prof. Henry the standing of the thermometer at Greencove 

 Springs every day since the 1st of January if wanted. Have not 

 had a rainy day for three weeks, most beautiful weather, ther- 

 mometer often up to 80° in the shade at noon. It was 84° at five 

 o'clock this afternoon. 



MiLLTOVTN, 25 May, 1868. 

 My Dear Baird : 



I received your letter of the 20th May. I have no one I care 

 about in the egg collection and anything I get you can have. The 

 Goshawk's egg you can have and I will try to get the nest ; it was 

 built in a branch of a birch about thirty feet up, quite a large flat 

 nest, outside of sticks, inside fine stuff and moss. I went near the 

 same place for another but found it only a Broad-wing. I got 

 three good eggs. It was a very rainy day and took me about all 

 day — got well soaked. I also went up to the lake but it was so 

 rainy it did not pay — glad to get home. It has rained all the time 

 for two weeks ; if fine I shall try to go up again this week. I know 

 where several Whistlers, Mergansers, Wood Ducks, etc., breed and 

 I want to get them for you. I went to the nests when up but it 

 rained so hard I could not get any one to go up ; they are very 

 high and the trees are old and rotten. The Pine Finch eggs and 

 nest you can have and, as I said before, any eggs and nests I get, 

 also the Canada Jay's nest and eggs you can have until you get 

 more and then you can return them. Brewer wants the nest and 

 eggs to figure or compare all three — Goshawk, Pine Finch and 

 Canada Jay — as he is at work for the egg book, suppose it will be 

 right to send to him for a time with instructions to send to you. 

 The Jay's nest is a very odd affair. I shall have to go to New 



