84 SPENCER FULLERTON BAIRD 
flock summer ducks, then a still larger, of about 30 Hooded Mergan- 
sers, shot 2 Hooded Mergansers, & green wing teal. Saw Marsh 
Hawk, Pileated woodpeckers, 2 purple Grakles. Pike Pond with 
thin ice. 22 Tuesday, very cold. Thermometer at 12°7AM. Dam 
Frozen over, skating. Creek nearly frozen. Saw many golden crested 
wrens. Shot a curiously marked sparrow, No. (866), with the nape, 
or back of the neck, consisting of a broad collar of pure white. 25. 
Friday. Creek mostly frozen except below Middlesex. Saw Rusty 
Blackbirds. Saw 3 Mallards in 1st Bottom. Shot one which fell 
on ice dead; could not get at it, so stripping, went in up to armpits, 
with big club, with which broke the ice as I went, until I reached the 
duck. It was cold enough but could not afford to lose the bird; at 
first dam shot two Mergansers at a shot, and in 2nd Bottom found the 
other two Mallards in flock of Mergansers; fired into them and killed 
a Mallard and Merganser. Saw an English snipe along LeTort 
spring. Obtained permission to shoot from old Ruhl, by gammoning 
him about wanting to kill hawks which just now are troublesome 
to him. Saw a Mallard among his ducks, but dared not shoot it 
as he was near, and it was before I spoke to him. Uncle William 
thought it a great sin to stuff the Mallards. To-day (28) went down 
creek to 1st Bottom, intensely cold. High wind & thermom. at 14° 
to 20° all day. Creek closed except at Middlesex. Saw 2 Doves 
at M. Below Middlesex saw Mallard and Male Summer duck; also 
a Pigeon Hawk. Fired at all of these at reasonable distances, but 
fingers so cold as to damage my aim. Saw plenty of Golden crest 
wrens with Black Cap tits. I am writing this in a great hurry as I 
wish it to be in time for the mail. Send back the labels as soon as 
you can, and I will then finish all my items of news. Yours &c 
Spencer F Barrp. 
Audubon raises the question again about his proposed 
trip to the Yellowstone country in the following letter: 
From John J. Audubon to S. F. Baird. 
My pear Youne FrRienp,— Baw Yorn, Mev. 29,08 
It seems to me as if an age had already elapsed since I have news 
of you or of your whereabouts. Neither do I know clearly whether 
in the way of correspondence, you are in my debt, or I am in yours. 
