drome," directing them for want of more definite ad- 

 dress to care of the S. F. Nat. Hist. Soc. Have you re- 

 ceived them? A short one, *%ist of Birds Collected in 

 Arizona by Dr. Ed. Palmer," bears directly upon your 

 work. He got on the Gila desert 3 species not previ- 

 ously attributed to the Territory; and several kinds of 

 eggs not before known to the ornithologists. My large 

 work still remains in MSS; but is about ready for the 

 press. I have about 2500 pages of MSS. Yours and 

 mine together will, I think, about use up the subject. 

 Yours has the great desideratum of mine illustrations. 

 I know these will be GREAT; have seen the proofs of a 

 great many of them, and they are first rate. Best 

 things out since Cassin's and the Pac. R. R. Reports!! 

 I deeply regret that my book can boast of nothing of 

 the sort; but I have no means of procuring any such 

 desirable embellishments. 



After my long stay at Columbia, over 2j^ years, I 

 am at length moved. Fort Macon is on one of the long 

 islands off the coast of North Carolina just opposite 

 Beaufort. I did comparatively little at Columbia in 

 the bird line, my position being a very onerous one as 

 regarding official duties. I only managed to collect 

 data for a Synopsis of the Birds of the State (a copy of 

 which I sent you). Although the birds are of course 

 well known in the general run, I thought that a new 

 carefully prepared list might find an acceptable place 

 in our chronicles. I have as much time here at my dis- 



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