LIFE AT "MINNIE'S LAND" 231 



home, Baird wrote from Carlisle, on February 8 of 

 that year: 



Spencer Fullerton Baird to Audubon 



After a trial of two weeks I begin to find that I am getting 

 over the shock caused by the sudden transition from the bustle 

 of Broadway to the lifelessness of Carlisle, and hope that by 

 the application of the proper means I may in time perfectly 

 recover. Philadelphia seemed dull but Carlisle was death it- 

 self. My visit now however seems but as a dream, and I have 

 settled down into my old regular monotonous life as if I had 

 never been absent a day. When I arrived my friends had a 

 great many questions to ask of course, but almost the first ones 

 on every lip were about Mr. Audubon, how he looked? What 

 was his age, whether the idea they had formed of him from 

 his writings was correct, many queries also were respecting 

 Mrs. A. and her sons; and they all said that they would 

 be ever grateful to them for their kindness, to one away from 

 home. . . . 



For want of other objects I have commenced to draw the 



sternal and shoulder apparatus of our birds, a pretty large 



collection of which I have been making for a year past. . . . 



Have you heard from Mr. Lyon of Bedford yet about the 



money he owes you? I was asking about him the other day, 



of an acquaintance of his, who told me that he was as good as 



gold in all his debts, & expressed some surprise at his not having 



paid, as he generaly is very punctual. . . . Last week I walked 



up to Pinegrove an iron works about sixteen miles in the moun- 



| tains where resides the Mr. Ege I have so often spoken about 



j as the mighty Nimrod of our county. On my arrival I found 



;; a fine wild cat hanging in the stable which had been killed a 



'J few days before. On returning the next day I took the cat 



with me slung across my shoulders, and on reaching home 



after measuring & weighing it skinned it. I am in hopes of 



getting some more from here, as they promised to catch all 



they could for me. 



