CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH 53 
me more hereafter. He returned to Gibson about two weeks ago 
taking Mrs. Carlton with him. The articles he brought were two 
Horned Lizards or Agama Cornuta, a Scorpion, a Centipede, a Taran- 
tula, and a large worm of some kind; together with a few fossils and 
a cane of orange wood from Louisiana. The Agamas were alive and 
one of them lived with me for several weeks, it is now, however, 
dead—and in spirits. I had a letter from Mr. Audubon the other 
day in which he says that he is busily engaged from morning till 
night in preparing his new work on the quadrupeds of this country, 
and asks me to collect all the rats, bats, mice, &c. I can. Uncle 
Penrose probably has told you of the warbler Dr. Marshall discovered 
above Carlisle. In addition to this I have found that the limestone 
about here is full of fossils). Ammonites a foot in diameter, Encrinites, 
Pentacrinites, Orthoceratites, Nautili, several species of Bivalves 
and many other sorts. The field between Adam’s House and the 
cave hill is full of them, the whole of the Limestone strata behind 
the slate in the field being composed of coralline substances, Spirifers, 
& Encrinites. The valves of Encrinites and Pentacrinites, stand out 
in relief on the decomposed surfaces of the stones like the spangles 
on an old fashioned dress.—Gebler the other day sent me in a bird 
which he had shot on the shallows below the dam, which proved to 
be a Black Tern, Sterna Nigra, in its second plumage; it is a beautiful 
bird. Very few woodcock were shot about Carlisle this summer, 
Uncle William only killed half a dozen. The Field Plover are more 
numerous than I ever saw them before. You might see sometimes 
an hundred ina day. Every Stubble field is full of them. Partridges 
will be pretty plenty this fall. Pheasants exceedingly so. I am 
sorry to tell you that the owls are both dead. The old one died to 
day. It was literally covered with millions of small insects. Looking 
as if flour had been dusted over it. There have been several white 
cranes in the creek this summer. I got a shot at one across the creek 
one day with No 6 shot; of course I did not hurt it much. I borrowed 
Steven’s rifle some time ago and can now shoot pretty well. Lieu- 
tenant West and Miss Annie Hays are to be married in September. 
Bill Knox and Miss Harriet Duncan are also said to be engaged. 
How do the people come on with the National Institute?—and have 
you become acquainted with any of the “‘fellers.” Loudon’s Maga- 
zine of Natural History has come, at last; it is a pretty good thing, 
