Vol.^XXJ Rhoads. Auduboiiiana. 379 



or London, is ready to sail ! Had Townsend sent me the whole 

 of his disposible birds, I might now have perhaps been able to 

 have mad[e] him a remittance in cash, which the single arrival of 

 the German Naturalists, who are now in California may hereafter 

 put an end to. Mention this to him, nay, shew him this letter if 

 you please and assure him that I am willing to exert myself in his 

 behalf. Indeed, I wish you to urge him in forwarding me either 

 his own manuscripts or a copy of all such parts as appertain to 

 Birds, as soon as possible, knowing (I think) that he will not 

 undertake to publish them himself under his present (I am sorry 

 to say) embarrassed pecuniary circumstances. Tell him that I 

 want all about the habits of any Birds which he has written upon, 

 especially, however, those found from the beginning of his journeys 

 until his return, and appertaining to species belonging to our fauna 

 or otherwise. Their exact measurements, dates, localities, migra- 

 tories or vice versa inclinations, descriptions of nests, eggs &c. 

 periods of breeding ; in a word all that he can, or will be pleased 

 to send me — and you may assure Townsend, that all he will con- 

 fide to me will be published as coming from him, although I may 

 think fit to alter the phraseology in some instances. Tell him to 

 be extremely careful in the naming his new species, and that [if] 

 he thinks of difficulties in this matter, to leave it to me, as he^-e I 

 am able to see all the late published works (and they are not a 

 few) and work out the species with more advantage than any one 

 can at present in Philadelphia. Do not take this as egotism far 

 from it, it is in friendship and for his sake that I venture on under- 

 taking such an arduous task. I am exceedingly [anxious] to receive 

 a letter from him (for Nutall, though an excellent friend of mine 

 and a most worthly man, will not answer me in time on this sub- 

 ject) of czZ/the birds contained in XXxo. phxtes now at the Academy of 

 Natural Sciences in Philada., which he sazv on the Rocky Mountains, 

 over those mountains, on the Columbia Ri-'er and off the coast of 

 our Western boundaries. This I want much, and if he would sim- 

 ply dictate to you plate i. not there, plate 2. there, plate 3 there &:c. 

 &c. this would amply answer my purpose, and this I wish you not 

 to neglect to forward me as soon as possible by duplicate \ Of course 

 I cannot speak upon any one of the new species of which you 

 speak until I have examined them all. To talk of new species in 



