Museum, Cambr i dge, Mass. 
May I3th, 1897. 
Dear Will:- 
A line from the Museum may be welcome now that you have 
left it for several weeks. The type-writer has been moved out here and 
it stands by the window to the left of your desk. The trees are coming 
out finely and even the Magnolia has put forth a lot more blossoms. I 
can count thirty from the windovjhere. They must have been small buds 
when we had that cold snap. The apple tree in front of the small room 
is as magnificent a sight as I ever saw. It is like a bank of snow. 
The Painted Trillium flowers are growing larger every day. I didn't 
know that they came out so small at first. It is the same with the 
Cornus florida. The four white bracts are growing steadily,are getting 
whiter and whiter daily and soon will be normal size and color. 
Cypripedium spectabile is shooting rapidly. It is several inches 
high. It keeps even pace with the plants at the Botanic Garden. It is 
great growing weather for we are having nothing but rain now. 
I am always on the lookout for birds and I add a new one every lit¬ 
tle while. My winter work has given me a good preparation so that I 
have been able to name all the Warblers that I have seen so far. Each 
one has quite a distinct individuality. I have seen several Parulas 
since you showed me the first one last Sunday. I saw them at Mt. Auburn 
and in the willows by the pond in the Botanic Garden. Today I saw a 
pair of Warbling Vireos in the latter place. One of them had some 
Id-irC )' 
straws in his bill. A little I heard one singing in the top of a tall 
/V 
tree in the middle of the garden. It was my first introduction to his 
