Shufeldt, ox First Birdskin of Elliott Coues. 81 



"Certainly, Shufeldt, any one that strikes your fancy, but 

 it seems to me you mig^ht have made a better selection. "^ 



"Well," I said, "you are certain you can spare it?" 



"Most assuredly," he replied. "It is yours and welcome." 



With this Elliott chimed in : 



"Well, Pygmiculus, for modesty, a quality I never suspected 

 vou of possessing, I am of the opinion that you are it. — 

 d — n it, sir, why didn't you take a California Condor, sir, or 

 a — well, words fail me to express my surprise, sir, — the way 

 in which your modesty, sir, has defeated your better sense, 

 sir, is simply rye-diculous." 



Not heeding these caustic remarks, and holding the skin 

 closely in my hand, I stepped over to where they stood, and 

 holding the label near enough so that Coues could read it, I 

 let him see first one side of it and then the other. 



"Oh, hold on. Shufeldt, I did not mean that one. Here, let 

 me have that, and you choose somie other" — followed by all 

 sorts of humble begging for the return of the specimen. But 

 1 was obdurate and paid no heed to all his pleadings, while 

 in a few words I quickly let Ridgway and Elliott know what 

 I held in my possession. The latter at once broke in with one 

 of his usual good-natured, voluble tirades, in which he took 

 all back that he had just said in regard to my modesty and 

 lack of sense, and turning loose on Coues with his raillery, 

 held him up for trusting such a notorious rascal as I was 

 known to be. — and. especially in the matter of being trusted in 

 selecting birdskins from another man's collection. 



Ridgway said little or nothing, but his face was a study, — 

 and it was very clear that the Smithsonian was never to be 

 the possessor of the specimen, — which, of course, did not 

 mean much, because it was only a field sparrow, anyway. 



In the outcome there was no "hard feelings" left, and the 

 incident in those busy days was soon forgotten, while I kept 

 the skin, and after a lapse of a quarter of a century, have it 

 yet, and the reproduction of a photograph I made of it a few 

 days ago illustrates the present account as to how I obtained 

 it. 



