William Brewster ,Hsq. 
Cambridge 
Blue Rapids,Kas. Feb. 4,290". 
Dear Mr Brewster ,- 
It seems to me particularly kind of a very 
busy man like yourself to resurrect an old-time request for information 
sent out indiscriminately to a large number of students and observers of 
Bird Life.That you have done this mesns the more to me since If have always 
felt a real stimulus in my work on the Nesting Habits of North American 
Birds on the strength of kind words of encouragement you once wrote me when 
first I began to take up this work seriously. 
I have mislaid a budget of difficult queries which I have long been assemblL 
ing on one sheet;with deliberate intent against one William Erewster,of 
Cambridge;to whom some of us owe very Much for his masterly expositions of 
bird life.The faint hope I have cherished that,even tho you had overlooked, 
(very naturally),my stereotyped request,you might still be inclined to re- 
spond to a personal letter, has been fanned into flame by the courteous 
letter you wrote me under date of Jan. I1/07.And I am glad,indeed,that you 
should have written first? 
It is a rank imposition for me to send you so long a list of desired 
points of information. But I have found it utterly impracticable to hire 
anyone to search out for me details from the pages of un-indexed volunes,- 
volumes upon volumes,-of Proceedings and Bylletins.What I have already secured, 
in such ways,has been costly in outlay:yet valueless in its content.A non- 
expert seems to have no vaguest idea,even when apparently well-coached,as 
to what one desires.Tt is enough to mrive one to distraction to pay out,af- 
ter having given most explicit directions as to brevity, good coin at the 
rate of Forty Cents an hour for whole pages of literal citation;where,in 
point of fact,a half-dozen lines would have been ample? 
if £ might venture to suggest: If you could spend a very little 
time among your files in citing volume, page and title for any of the items 

