CORRESPONDENCE 175 



During the first year of their correspondence, 1865, 

 fourteen letters were written by Mr. Boardman to Prof. 

 Baird. The period of greatest activity in the correspond- 

 ence between these friends was during the years 1868 

 to 1880. In 1868 Mr. Boardman wrote eighteen letters 

 to Prof. Baird ; in 1869, forty-two ; in 1870, twenty-six 

 and in 1875, sixteen. These letters are in the most familiar 

 language, all are interesting and nearly every one con- 

 tains more or less notes about the birds he had observed 

 and studied. There is not a letter within the range of 

 the entire correspondence that does not close with 

 remembrance to "our scientific friends" and "much 

 love to Mrs. Baird and I^ucy." Prof. Baird must have 

 been happy to have received these entertaining letters. 

 He made special request for them. As late as 1880 Mr. 

 Boardman began a letter November 3, by saying: "I 

 am afraid I have not come quite up to your order to write 

 every month as it must be more than that since I have 

 written;" while on December 29, 1882, writing from 

 Minneapolis, Minn., he commences a letter with : ' ' Some 

 years ago you told me I must write you every month. I 

 do not know how long that order was to last and think I 

 have not observed it very well. ' ' This was seventeen years 

 after their correspondence commenced and how dear and 

 rich had been the intercourse and correspondence between 

 these two friends ! It was but two years before Prof. 

 Baird's death and shows how intimate and constant had 

 been their friendship and work even though the period 

 of their activity was nearing its close. Its end only came 

 with the death of the great scientist. 



While scores of entire letters are devoted to ornitho- 

 logical matters there are in all the others references to his 



