A LIFE RECORD 63 



IIir.EKMA, Fla., Feb. 6, 1870. 

 Dear Baird : 



I want to tell you what an exceedingly good place I am in 

 to collect common birds. It was many years ago an old planta- 

 tion, now grown up scantily to trees ; no underbrush and very 

 good walking. The trees are full of birds, nothing very rare, but 

 you can hardly go half a mile from the house without seeing more 

 than fifty different kinds of birds; a good many Warblers and 

 Woodpeckers, but not many water birds, except ducks about the 

 river. I expect we shall go into camp in about ten days; are 

 waiting for a New York man who is to go with us. 



I think this would be a nice place to collect eggs. I never 

 saw such an abundance of old nests. I have engaged a young 

 man to look after them. I see many woodpeckers' holes and if 

 the boy tries he can get some good eggs. One of the red-bellied 

 kind is now digging a hole next the house and the red cockade 

 must nest all about. He tells me that the Red Wing remains here 

 all summer, also the Bluebird. One cuckoo and several kinds of 

 blackbirds, also inaDy of the hawks are found all summer. The 

 only duck that remains is the Wood Duck, he thinks. I will leave 

 him my drills and blow-pipe and hope he may get some eggs new 

 to your collection and I will collect some Florida birds for Ilidg- 

 way to compare with the northern. I have some blackbirds, I 

 think of northern and southern, as they differ considerably in size. 

 I am yours very truly, 



Geo. A. Boardman. 



Here is an extract from another letter of about the 

 same date as the preceding : "I find birds are very local 

 in their habits in Florida. I find different birds at Jack- 

 sonville from even Greencove Springs, and then different 

 at Palatka from what they are at St. Augustine ; another 

 kind at Enterprise." On March 30, Mr. Boardman 

 writes to Prof. Baird that he intends to leave in a day or 

 two for the north and ' ' be along toward Washington by 

 Saturday or Sunday night unless detained on the way. 

 If you have a spare bed for a night or two I will occupy 



