242 THE NATURALIST OF THE ST. CROIX 



Calais, Me., Aug. 25, 1869. 

 Dear Doctor: 



I received your Indian historical epistle about a week ago 

 for which I am much obliged. I have read the history of those 

 old Indian chaps long ago but the dates are very interesting, as I 

 had forgotten them. I hope that Prof. Baird may find all the 

 places you mention with the relics all labeled and dated. 



Prof. Baird and myself have been around having a pretty good 

 time. He is now over to Grand Manan. I expect him back in a 

 day or two. I started twice to go over with him but the fog and 

 head winds detained us. I left him at Eastport. He got a chance 

 over in the revenue boat and went over without me. I gave him 

 good letters to my friends and hope he may find some good 

 things. He will probably find the bones of the Great Auk, also 

 bones of the Walrus, as they were said to inhabit this coast a 

 few hundred years ago. If he finds anything new or rare I will 

 report when I write you again. 



I believe I wrote you I had added two new birds to my list 

 since he has been here, a Black Vulture and a Purple Gallinule. 

 I think they must have followed the Professor up, although he 

 says he never knew either of them taken about Washington. We 

 have a little muddy lake about two miles from where I live where 

 several kinds of grebes breed. They breed very late — some of 

 the small ones. I was out with the Professor to try to get some 

 chicks. I got two that I don't think were over two days old. They 

 are very cunningly marked little things when so young and look 

 very prettily mounted. I also got a young loon about the size of a 

 teal. I think those chicks look very pretty in collections and I 

 have quite a number of them. I must try to get more of the young 

 grebes, but the larger ones are hard to shoot. The Horned and 

 Dab Chick are most common, while a few Red-necked breed. We 

 found some deserted nests, but no eggs. They build a floating 

 nest among the rushes. To get to the nest we have to carry a 

 canoe some distance over a bad road to the lake. 



I go out shooting almost every night after tea and most 

 always get some ducks, pigeons or partridges. We had a nice 

 dinner to-day of black ducks and pigeons. Snipe and woodcock 

 are quite plenty, but I have no dog to find them that is good for 



