Vol l906 m ] Deane > Letters of J. J. Audubon and S. F. Baird. 197 



doubt they were new. For the mere opinion of those Philadelphians 

 that a bird is a new species, I would not give one straw, but no doubt 

 they may think Townsend knows so much about these birds that 

 his word would be enough. He certainly knows more than any of 

 them.' 



"The last chapter in the history, I published in 'The Osprey, 

 Vol. IV, p. 173. It is a letter from Cassin to Spencer Baird, July 

 5, 1843: 'Dear Baird: Dished! Last evening being the 4th of 

 July the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia did not 

 muster a quorum, the honorable members being as it would appear 

 patriotic as well as scientific, were probably helping to celebrate 

 the anniversary of the nation's birthday in a manner seeming to 

 them right and proper, which was pretty enough in them, and to 

 which I have not the slightest objection excepting that I had not 

 the pleasure of reading to them your paper.' It was read the next 

 week, however, and ordered printed July 25th. Audubon revised 

 his opinion of the new species, accepted them gracefully and figured 

 them in the appendix of Vol. VII of his 1840-44 edition of 'Birds 

 of America.' Let us hope that Wm. Baird, in the same spirit, 

 revised his opinion of the Philadelphia ornithologists." 



I take this occasion to express my hearty thanks to Miss M. R. 

 Audubon for the generous gift of the Baird letters, and to Miss 

 Lucy H. Baird, who kindly furnished me with copies of Audubon's 

 correspondence to her father, five of the letters being a direct reply 

 to those sent by Baird. I am also indebted to Prof. O. B. Super 

 of Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pa., for information regarding cer- 

 tain names and localities mentioned in the letters, and to Dr. 

 Charles W. Richmond and Mr. Witrner Stone for assistance ren- 

 dered. In Dr. Coues's Bibliography of 1878 (in 'Birds of the 

 Colorado Valley'), in quoting the 1840-44 edition of 'Birds of 

 America,' he writes the following, so beautifully and truthfully 

 expressed: "If a trace of sentiment be permissible in bibliography, 

 I should say that the completion of this splendid series of plates 

 with the name bairdii was significant; the glorious Audubonian 

 sun had set indeed, but in the dedicating of the species to 'his young 

 friend Spencer F. Baird' the scepter was handed to one who was 

 to wield it with a force that no other ornithologist of America has 

 ever exercised." 



These Letters are copied "verbatim, literatim, et punctuatim." 



