334 Deane, Letters of J. J. Audubon and S. F. Baird. [£}£ 



Baird to Audubon. 



Washington August 4th. 1842. 

 My dear Mr. Audubon 



I received your letter yesterday and I take this opportunity to 

 return you my thanks for the very flattering letter of recommenda- 

 tion enclosed in it. 1 have put it in the hands of my uncle who 

 will use it in some way to my advantage. I called on Mr. dishing 1 

 at the Capitol yesterday morning and asked him about the Pre- 

 sidents letter. He seemed much surprised to hear that you had 

 not received it yet, said that it had been written a week ago, and 

 assured me that he would attend to it without delay. The weather 

 has been delightfully cool and pleasant here since last Sunday, the 

 only drawback being the great quantity of dust. Have you ever 

 seen the Red variety of the Northern Gray Squirrel. My brother 

 tells me that during a residence of a year at a school in Cecil Co. 

 Maryland he frequently saw & shot a so called "Fox squirrel," 

 entirely different from the one of that name in Carlisle Pa. a spec- 

 imen of which you have. The Gray Cat squirrel is quite common 

 here, and the difference between it and this last was very obvious. 

 It consisted in invariably smaller size, habits, and a different 

 Physiognomy. The color varied from a slight tint to a deep fox 

 red. The school he was at lay about six miles from Port Deposit 

 on the Susquehanna. Please tell Major or John LeConte to write 

 to me if you see them and Believe me 

 Yours Sincerely 



Spencer F. Baird 



1 Caleb Gushing, statesman, born Jan. 17, 1800; died Jan. 2, 1879. 



