210 THE NATURALIST OF THK ST. CROIX 



spear heads and knives, some I have seen that are very pretty, that 

 I am in hopes to get. The young meu in the road emploj^ have 

 them and I am mounting up some pretty birds that I may exchange 

 for the stone things. They were found last spring near Palatka and 

 most of them have been taken north. I will now be on the look- 

 out for anything they may find. The diggers are now ten miles 

 south of Ocala; no track laid within fifteen miles of them, but 

 hope to go down before very long. Have seen no new or very rare 

 birds, only yesterday saw one of those white-tail, or black shoul- 

 dered Kites brought in. 



There is one very good taxidermist here ; he j)uts up Waders 

 very life-like, the best I have seen anywhere. Sands is also at work 

 and is doing very well ; lias a nice place near town but cannot do 

 up the Waders so artistic as the man Hoyt, not the Hoyt you saw 

 when you was in Jacksonville, H. H. Hoyt from Stamford, Conn. 

 He can also draw or paint well and is a very good artist. He 

 would be a good man to put up some Waders to replace those poor 

 ones that have been in the Smithsonian so long. He would be a 

 good man to go to Hudson Bay to take charge of the meteorological 

 establishment as he is a man of brains, if he would go. Some of 

 the white birds are now just coming into good plumage. I saw 

 one yesterday with good plumes, but only one in a dozen. This 

 is a nice place to collect, to go out on the cars in the morning, 

 return in the evening. I am going out quail shooting tomorrow; 

 was out twice last week. Should be pleased to see Ridgway 

 down here ; it would be a much better place for his spring vacation 

 than out at Illinois where he has been the last few years. A 

 vacation for you would not hurt you as you have not been down 

 here to look after the fish for some years. This State is full of 

 little ponds and lakes, some large lakes, but the small ones could 

 be drained and fish killed out and carp could be raised by the 

 million. The cars ran over an alligator a few days ago, that was 

 trying to cross the track. One of my Florida friends, Wm. Foster 

 of Clifton Springs died last week. We may not go west to live ; 

 go out next season to visit and then go back to Calais wliere we 

 have a nice place. I think we would be more at home down east. 

 Mrs. B. joins in much love to you and Mrs. Baird, Lucy and all 

 the friends. Sincerely yours, 



G. A. BOARDMAN. 



