CLOSING YEARS 87 



health ; has lost over twenty pounds of flesh. I cannot 

 find out what the trouble is with him or really how badly 

 off he is. In his last letter he wrote me he was going to 

 Vermont to spend the first part of the summer and leave 

 the sea air. I wish you would write me all about him ; 

 how he has been and how he appears. I hope he is not 

 going to break down." In reply to this Prof. Ridgway 

 wrote : 



Smithsonian Institution, April 16, 1887. 

 Dear Mr. Boardman: 



Since the receipt of yours of the 4th inst. I have been so busy 

 with my new book (Manual of North American Birds), endeavor- 

 ing to hasten its completion by the commencement of the collecting 

 season, besides my other necessary occupations, tbat I have been 

 obliged to defer an answer until today. 



I am very happy to tell you that Professor Baird's health 

 seems much better, as he not only goes about more but takes his 

 former interest in various matters and appears altogether more 

 cheerful than he did a few months ago. At one time he seemed 

 to be very much discouraged and all his friends felt very appre- 

 hensive, but I sincerely trust that the worst is over now, and that 

 he w T ill be spared to us for many years yet. His loss would be an 

 irreparable one to his friends, for no one could replace him. He 

 is going to the Adirondacks about the first of June and the 

 change, as well as freedom from the many cares, responsibilities 

 and annoyances which beset him here, will no doubt do much to 

 restore him to good health. 



There is nothing specially new here, birds coming in fre- 

 quently, but rarely anything of particular interest. We have had 

 no very large collections since the Albatross collection came 

 in. It will probably interest you to know that we have three 

 additional specimens of Wurdemann's Heron, and I have exam- 

 ined five more — eight altogether, in addition to the type. They 

 all came from the Keys near Cape Sable, where they were breed- 

 ing in December. 



