CORRESPONDENCE 171 



You give us a very tempting account of a Southern Spring. 

 This would have been in greater contrast with our own if we had 

 received it on the day of Inauguration. This was excessively 

 cold and bitter, and caused great disappointment to the thousands 

 of strangers who came in from all parts of the country. There 

 was a ball in tbe evening in a new building erected for the pur- 

 pose, 350 feet by 15'), and it was so cold that the guests wore all 

 the wrappings they could gather together, and they had to chop 

 up the chicken salad with hatchets to get a chance to eat it. It 

 was so cold that it is said the breath as it rose into the air gave 

 the appearance of a company engaged in smoking. 



If you will keep a sharp lookout for the time of blooming of 

 the Cereus plant, and let me know when this comes off, I will 

 come down and see the phenomenon. 



When I went through Philadelphia a few weeks ago I stopped 

 and tried to see Krider's hawks, but Hooper had them in West 

 Philadelphia, and I could not get a sight at them. 



From the description I infer that they must be a variety of 

 Swainson's Buzzard. I cannot believe in the existence of a new 

 species of so limited distribution. 



Very truly yours, 



Spencer F. Baird. 



We are beginning to look forward to a visit from you on your 

 way home. We feel as if the smallpox had cheated us out of our 

 visit to which we had a right. 



M. H. C. B. 



Washington, Dec. 30, 1873. 

 My Dear Mr. Boardman: 



Your letter of the 23d was duly received, together with the 

 specimens therein advised, and we were especially pleased to get 

 the Whitefish, as enabling us to form some idea of its character. 

 It appears to be essentially the same as that common in the St. 

 John Kiver and known there as the Gizzard fish, although it is 

 quite different from the Whitefish of the western lakes. 



It is quite impossible to say whether the young fish are land- 

 locked salmon or sea salmon, especially as nobody has been able 

 to point out a character sufficiently marked to distinguish them. 



