54 SPENCER FULLERTON BAIRD 
I forgot to say that Audubon tells me in his letter that our Leib’s 
Flycatcher, is Muscicapa Pusilla, and our new thrush is the one year 
old plumage of the Wood thrush. What do you think of that? I 
do not believe it. I would have written you a longer and more 
connected letter but I am not well. All send love. Answer this soon. 
Yours affectionately 
Spencer F. Barrp. 
Spencer F. Baird to William M. Baird. 
CaRLisLe, September 74 1841. 
Dear WI11, 
It seems ten chances to one that this letter will not reach you 
before you are on your road home; however It may take its chance. 
Every thing about Carlisle seems to say that Autumn is at hand, trees 
changing color, cold nights, and hot days, together with birds coming 
back from their northern summer abodes. There will be much game 
this fall, more so perhaps than has been for many years. The field 
plover still continue in the extreme abundance in which they have 
been found all summer. They may be seen in flocks of twenty or 
thirty at a time and there is no end to the small parties and single 
ones. Reed birds are pretty plenty now along the spring. Will 
Penrose and George Gibson shot thirteen the other day. I yesterday 
heard of a large flock of Bull-Head Plover out at Bitner’s place. 
Pigeons are not very plenty. Adams has told me of several ducks 
seen on the dam, &— I myself shot at a fine Mallard last week. 
Tom says he yesterday saw a man with a big Salmon Breasted 
“Merganser.” 1 have stuffed two new birds since you have been 
away, one a Black Tern, the other the Republican Swallow. Of the 
latter I obtained two individuals last week in the Barracks’ Meadow; 
both young birds. The hawk we shot last spring cannot be the Young 
male Cooper’s Hawk as Sam Miller shot— and brought me a bird 
of the latter kind, decidedly different from this bird. Sam’s bird 
is half inch longer, tail much-more rounded, proportions of wing 
and feet different, & color very much so. George Knox sent me a 
fine female Slate colored Hawk, the other day. It had a dove in 
its claws when shot; & was 1334 by 2414 inches. You can have no 
idea of the discoveries I have been making in the “Fossil organic 
remains” department about Carlisle. On Clem MacFarlane’s old 
