62 Deane, Letters of J. J. Audubon and S. F. Baird. [ Jan 



pusilla. His figure and description are different from my bird, 

 but both are vague enough to allow of considerable latitude of 

 interpretation. I can only decide the matter by looking at your 

 plate of pusilla. Do you still think that Tyranula richardsonii 

 is a good species? In about 20 specimens of T. fusca which I 

 possess, there is every gradation in size, color, & proportion of 

 quills between the descriptions of Fusca and richardsonii. If 

 there is any infallible distinctive character, please mention it to 

 me. The eggs and habits appear at any rate to be very different 

 from their descriptions. 



If I have time I will write out a monograph of our Flycatchers 

 for the Proceedings of the Academy of Nat. Sciences, for the pur- 

 pose of giving the correct names of Giraud's Texan species. 1 [His] 

 Muscicapa Texensis for instance is nothing but the old M. cayanen- 

 sis of Brisson 2 & Gmelin, M . flava of Vieillot, 3 and so of others. 

 If my purse is deep enough towards the end of the winter, I may 

 possibly be able to meet you & talk over these matters. In the 

 mean time Believe me to be, with my respects to Mrs. A. and all 

 your family 



Yours most affectionately 



Spencer F. Baird. 

 John J. Audubon Esq. 

 77 William St. 

 New York. 



Baird to Audubon. 



Carlisle Feb. 4th, 1846. 

 My dear Mr. Audubon 



I am sorry to be obliged to report such ill success in getting the 

 animals you wished, although I have done everything in my power. 

 My friend who went to Susquehanna Co. returned without any- 

 thing more than a box of Salmon trout and a few Lepus americanus, 

 which are so abundant. By the way I do not want you to consider 



1 'A Description of Sixteen New Species of North American Birds.' 1841. 

 Muscicapa texensis, folio S, pi. 1. 



2 ' Ornithologia sive Synopsis Methodica.' 1760. Muscicapa cayanensis. 

 Vol. II, p. 404. 



3 ' Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux de l'Amerique Septentrionale ' 1807. Musci- 

 capa flava, pi. 41. 



