Natural History of District of Columbia — McAtee 13 



Some of the forerunners of what is now called the Wash- 

 ington Guide contained interesting comment on the natural 

 history of the District. This is especially true of two which 

 will be briefly reviewed. The first, published by Jonathan 

 Elliot in 1830, is entitled "Historical Sketches of the Ten 

 Miles Square forming the District of Columbia * * * 

 also a description of the River Potomac — its fish and wild 

 fowl, etc." "The waters of the Potomac," this writer says, 

 "are frequented by a great variety of the finest wild fowl. 

 Among the most rare and valuable are the canvass back 

 duck, by some called white-backs. Myriads of them during 

 the winter literally darken the stream of the river." * * * 

 He adds comment astonishing to the present day epicure: 

 "The average price of canvas backs in Washington is about 

 75 cents, but they are frequently sold at 50 cents per pair." 

 (p. GO.) Other interesting comment on the prices of that 

 time relate to the shad. "In the height of the season a 

 single shad weighing from 6 to 8 pounds is sold in the market 

 of the District for 6 cents, and by the hundred for from 3 

 to 4 dollars" (p. 428). 



Mr. Elliot gives many details relating to birds and fishes, 

 of which we will cite only one anecdote relating to a fish. 

 He comments upon the leaping habits of sturgeon, some of 

 which he says weigh 150 pounds. One of these large stur- 

 geon leaped into a ferry boat at Georgetown during the 

 Revolutionary War, coming down on the lap of an American 

 officer with such violence as to break his thigh, the injury 

 later resulting in death. 



In 18v>l Vi was published "Philp's Washington Described," 

 edited by William D. Haley, in which are annotated skeleton 

 lists of the vertebrates and molluscs of the District with 

 interesting comment on the insects and plants. The editor 

 states his obligations to Baron Osten Sacken, Professors 



"Prom the Bulletin of the Proceedings of the National Institution for 

 the Promotion of Science we learn that at the meeting of August 10, 1840, 

 "the Department of Natural History was requested to prepare catalogues 

 of the Animals and Vegetables of the District of Columbia" (Bui. I, No. 

 1, June-December 1840 (1841), p. 7). At the meeting of November 9, the 

 same year, a manuscript entitled "Fauna Columbiana," by Dr. T. B. J. 

 Frye, was presented (ibid. p. 10), but it was never published and it 

 cannot now be found. 



