166 THK NATURALIST OF THE ST. CROIX 



I envy you your trip up the St. John in the little steamer. 

 Don't you think you ought to have a dredge along and do what 

 you can in scraping the bottom on the way? I shall be glad to 

 have you secure the alligators referred to ; and hope you will get 

 at least one. Dr. Brewer came last night and will remain until 

 some time next week. He brought that undetermined nest and 

 egg that you collected last year, the female parent of which was 

 described as like a female Bobolink. We have been looking over 

 the matter, however, and have come to the conclusion that it is a 

 Pine grosbeak. I have, accordingly, confiscated the specimen, in 

 the interest of the Smithsonian Institution, and intend to hold on 

 to it. 



I wrote to Bickmore about that Labrador Duck and told him 

 we would be very glad to have it for the Smithsonian. He writes 

 in reply to know what we will offer the Museum of Natural History 

 for it. I then responded that if he chose to put the intercourse 

 between the Smithsonian and the New York Museum on a strict 

 exchange, quid pro quo, it was all right, but it was not exactly the 

 way we were in the habit of treating such institutions ; that it had 

 been our intention to give the Museum a first-rate series of our 

 duplicates without any consideration of the question whether they 

 could give any exchange ; but if he preferred the other plan 1 

 would send him a list from which to make a selection. This 

 would be rather a poor way of doing business for the Museum, as 

 we have so much more to give than they have to return. 



Give my kind regards to Prof. Wyman and tell him I hope 

 he will stop in Washington on his return and see us. 

 Very truly yours, 



Spencer F. Baird. 



Washington, D. C, March 9, 1872. 

 My Dear Mr. Boardman: 



Yours of the 3d is safely at hand, and I envy you the nice 

 time you are having in Florida. I hope you will come back full 

 of treasures and ready to share them, as ever, with the Smith- 

 sonian. 



I am happy to say that we are in possession of the Labrador 

 Duck, a very nice specimen which arrived yesterday. A week or 

 two ajjo I wrote to Bickmore asking whether he wished the 



