52 SPENCER FULLERTON BAIRD 
Some days ago I wrote to Dr. Morton telling him of the sculls 
I had for him, & among others one of (a mud turtle) Emys Geographica 
&, in an answer received a day or two after, he is very anxious for 
me to send him a stuffed one for the Academy, which I will do as 
soon as I can catch one. Sam tells a wild tale of a turtle which he 
saw in Hay’s dam, with a head as big as his two fists, & a tail as thick 
as his arm, & about two or three feet long. 
Write soon again & let me know all about the Patent office 
collection & whether the artist there is John K. Townsend of Phila. 
If you have opportunity I wish you could copy the descriptions of 
Pennsylvania Reptiles from Holbrook, & send them to me. There 
will not be many I presume. Mother says to give some satisfactory 
account of yourself when next you write, what you are about, &c. &c. 
Yours affectionately 
Spencer F. Barrp. 
I have just returned from a walk to Stewart’s Gap & there- 
abouts. All these fields on top of the mountain are full of strawberries, 
some of them of the tallest kind. I ate more to day than I have done 
for the last five years put together. While in the middle of one of 
the fields I saw a large bird coming near, which proved to be a fine 
Raven. It would not come nearer than about 60 yards & I having 
none but No 6 shot in my gun did not fire, thinking it would come 
closer to me. The people of the tavern say that they have been 
about all spring. I also saw two large Buzzards, name unknown. 
Also a Bewick’s crow & Blue Grosbeck: but could get shot at neither; 
killed another Heterodon much like the first one killed. 
S. F. B. 
Spencer F. Baird to William M. Baird. 
Car.isLE, August 19. 1841. 
Dear Brotuer, 
I had intended writing to you by Uncle Penrose but did not do 
so, as he went away before I thought he would. There is very little 
news afloat in Carlisle. Nobody talks of any thing but the fate of 
the bank bill, the whigs are as mad as fire Lieutenant Carlton on 
his return from Fort Gibson about a month ago brought with him 
several objects of Natural History which he gave to me and promised 
