320 Deane, Letters of J. J. Audubon and S. F. Baird. Cjvily 



tinged with dark yellowish brown. Length to end of tail 7 inches. 

 Wing from flexure 3^|-. Tail 2f . Bill along ridge j| • Edge of 

 lower mandible y|-. Tarsus 1. Middle toe and claw -y^-. Hind 

 do -jI". The only bird with which it can be compared is the Hermit 

 Thrush, but from which it differs very materially. The bill is con- 

 siderably stouter. It has no brownish red at all about it & its 

 wings and tail are much darker; and though the spots on the breast 

 are not so numerous, yet there is more of the pale yellowish brown 

 on this, than on the neck & breast of the Hermit Thrush. 

 Believe me sir 



Your Obt. Servant 



Spencer F. Baird. 

 John J. Audubon. F. R. S. &c. 

 [Superscription] John J. Audubon. F. R. S. 

 86 White St. 



New York. 



Baird to Audubon. 



Carlisle, January 30th, 1841 

 Dear Sir 



I sit down to write, as I dare say you yourself have, before now, 

 surrounded by "Birds, Beasts &c. I have been pulling them from 

 every corner of the house for the purpose of showing them to some 

 friends who called to see them. They now amount to such a num- 

 ber that I find myself unable to keep them together in one room. 

 I was very agreeably surprised this afternoon, on comparing the 

 skin of a Fuligula Marila x shot in the Potomac, with that of a 

 supposed one obtained near Carlisle, to find that the latter was the 

 Fuligula Rufitorques. 2 Not having compared the Rufitorques with 

 the description in the "Biography" and not attending to the dif- 

 ference in the Specula and bills, I had labelled it "Fuligula Marila" 

 Young Male. I omitted to state that the little flycatcher I sent 

 you in the summer had been obtained bv Dr. Leib of Phila. but 



1 Aythya marila neurotica. 



2 Aythya collaris. 



