206 THE NATURALIST OF THE ST. CROIX 



— lots winter birds about, such as Piue Grosbeaks, some pretty 

 Chatterers down in Mr. Todd's garden; he doesn't want me to 

 shoot the Wax Wings. Love to all your folks. 

 As ever yours, 



Geo. a. Boardman. 



MiLLTOWN, 19 January, 1875. 

 Mt Dear Professor : 



I received your letter a few days since ; sorry the postal car 

 got burned. Don't think of much news to write, very cold 

 weather is no news for us. We have had a very long cold snap, 

 thermometer sometimes 25 below zero and hardly get up to zero 

 all day, wind blowing a gale most all the time. 



This would be splendid weather for some of you people writ- 

 ing up water birds for the other volumes. Such winters as this 

 should bring down lots of new Arctic birds, such as Gulls, Divers, 

 etc., etc., and a splendid place would be to go to the Wolves Island, 

 up in the Bay of Fundy, out on some of the rocks ; it would be a 

 very bad i^lace for boats, but a fellow might swim after the birds, 

 if he shot any very rare ones, and he could skin them after he got 

 home as they would not spoil, this weather, in two days. Joking 

 aside, I believe for some good naturalist to go to such a place as 

 the Wolves, and stop with a Mr. Paul, who lives there, would 

 get more rare things than he would at most any other place. 

 Many winter birds come no further than this. No one shoots this 

 time of year, or only to shoot a duck and many good birds are 

 overlooked ; no collectors go in winter. I was ten years trying 

 to teach Cheney, but had to give it up. Audubon, Wilson, Nuttall, 

 etc., etc., all went south in winter. A Mr. Stewart was over to the 

 Wolves and told me he saw more than five hundred Harlequin 

 ducks in one cove. A good chance for any young collector that 

 wishes to make a martyr of himself and freeze to death here is a 

 good chance. I think before long I shall go south again, probably 

 to Florida ; if there are any particular birds Mr. Ridgway wants 

 me to look after, let me know. I shall probably go south without 

 much delay and stop on my return along by the way, as after I 

 start want to get as soon as possible into warm weather. 



With kind regards to all the folks, I am 

 Yours very truly, 



Geo. a. Boardman. 



