RK-061

Philadelphia 22 April 1855 Robert: Nuttalls Ornithology cannot be had here at all. - I was several years getting a copy for the library of our Academy. - I have a copy of my own of the first edition only, - but it is not very long since I saw it in James Browns Catalogue, Boston - I think in the very last Catalogue issued by him, - it is now a very scarce book, - one of my reasons for discontinuing my Birds of California &c is that I intend to get up a book of the same style a Nuttall - It is quite remarkable that the White Crane is so seldom noticed, and specimens are but rarely procured. - I should think it quite possible that the booming of the Prairie Hen, of which you speak is produced somewhat in the manner of the bass notes of the bag pipe and that the sacs contained in the bare spaces on the neck, which I understand to be inflatable, have something to do with it, - your opportunities for studying this interesting bird are apparently excellent and I hope you will keep notes of everything relating to it - those contained in your letter are highly interesting - you will, very

probably live to see it a rare bird, even in the districts where it it is now abundant - and then you will have reason to be glad that you placed its history on record, so far as practicable - it is very rare now in New Jersey and I have never seen it, at large - I wish I had known that the 17 year locust was in your country last year - I think there are two distinct species, both of whuch appear here at the same time - one of them much smaller than the other and with a note very different, being a sort of click[underlined], click[underlined], not loud nor prolonged like that of the larger species. - I saw them both here in great abundance in 1834 and 1851 - the smaller has been described under the name of Cicada Cassinii. - I noticed in 1851 that the twigs in which eggs are deposited do not always die, - but in young trees they frequently do die - I saw in Chester county in this state, a large extent of young Chestnut trees which were covered with dead twigs - at the ends of nearly all the limbs, - these dead twigs fall off during the winter and are not to be seen during the succeeding spring - This is a most curious insect and has not been studied as it ought to be, - it very probably has some geological history, appearing as it does in different

but well defined districts in different years - at Washington two of those districts overlap and it appears there at intervals of 8 and 9 years - then is scarcely a year that it does not appear somewhere in the United States. - Prof. Baird is as you say doing a large business in Quadrupeds - he has several new and interesting species. The little mouse sent by you in a newspaper was duly received, and though a good deal decayed, I put it into spirits and it seems in pretty good order - our principal naturalist in that line is Major Le Conte who is absent now but will be home shortly, when I shall show him that and other things that I have got this winter, My 8th no. was sent to Dr. Kennicott some time since, - hope it arrived safe - Always glad to hear from you, very truly yours John Cassin

Mr. Robt Kennicott