RK-086

The Grove July 4^th 1855

Baird copy [circled] 5

My Dear Sir

Yours of June 25th is Just rec'd - I've been thinking how for four years I have always spent this day in some Nat. Hist. investigations and I believe always with good result.

I am still prevented from leaving home by sickness - my ague is gone but I am quite weak & dare not leave till I feel quite well - I hope to be off next week. In Southern Illinois there is a very large mole with long snout who causes great damage to the farmers. I have one skin in alcohol & my numerous collectors have instructions to secure lots of them (in alcohol with the intestines removed) and some alive if possible.

I will try to get you raccoons, opossums, & woodchucks, but as for the skunks - I wish you would excuse me if you please. I shot one a few days since and from the slight sniff I got of his "damnable fragrance" I wish for no nearer acquaintance.

I will look out for the two kinds of Gophers you mention. I have got a worm snake (Celuta aomena) Black snakeBlue racer two Heterodons & some other fellows I never saw before. I have several salamanders & lizards; a beautiful Glass snake (2 feet long) lots of fish &c &c I did best among the snakes & insects. But next trip wo!wo! to the mice & moles - We do not have the large mole as

far north as this I think.

[circled] 6

Among the Suckers (real Lower Egyptians) I was thought to be in league with the Devil. I handled their deadly? "adders," "vipers", "moccasins," &c with perfect impunity even putting my fingers in their mouths while the superstitous loafers looked on in silent horror. I rather enjoyed the fun.

Last spring I went out several mornings to watch the Prairie chickens boom. It was after the females had commenced sitting and I found 30 or forty old cocks by themselves (before this time the cocks will often be found by themselves while the hens will be feeding seperate some ways off) I got within two or three rods of the nearest ones by the help ^{walking alongside} of a horse being myself enveloped in a buffalo skin. So I got a fair view. A cock would give a preliminary shake of his feathers (not always though) ^{drop his wings to the gound, and running rapidly} a rod or two would stop ^{drop his wings to the gobbler,} lower his breast almost to the ground with his head thrust straight out on a level. while his tail, and neck crests, were pointed directly upward - A slight expansion of the booming sack could be seen as he uttered the first & shortest note "Koom" [musical score] at the second "booom" [musical score] the bag was more expanded & of a deeper color; at the third ^{& longest} "boo-o-o-o" [musical score] the bag was distended to its full size and became of a deep orange color - while at first it was light lemon color. At each note the head & breast were violently jerked downward as though it were uttered with an effort. The time between the utterence of the "boom" (as well as of each of the three notes in the "boom") varied more or less. Occasionally

one would utter a strange sound apparently ^much as louder ^than as the true boom and which may be heard like the [illegible] ^it at a great distance. It usually consisted of two notes ^{"though sometimes three)} somewhat thus "kowawk' kwo^ck" [two lines, both horizontal and then curving upward] uttered on a very high key and the last part of each note broken off short at the highest pitch. The last note is much shorter and the last part ^{of it} higher than the first note, ^{could it be young birds were} for the first time trying to boom Frequently they would spring into the air ^{repeatedly, -} whirling about and acting springing from side to side. They occasionally uttered a sort of cackling sound like this "qua qua-a-kack' kack' kack' " - the ^{first notes long & not so loud as the last} This last must be what Wilson thought resembled laughter but I never heard mention of the curious loud & abrupt "kowawk kwock' " which seemed to be produced by the aid of the booming sack I am decidedly of the opinion that the boom of the prairie chicken is on the same principle as the bagpipe. [drawing] See P.S. to this letter

We have got two young screech owls tamed. They are wonderfully curious little chaps - They keep up their droning cry all day. I put them on the cherry trees to scare off the robins.

Do you want a wood-chuck, & opossum? I have a specimen (young taken in winter) of Arvicola oneida which I got in Ohio; do you want it? Howw many specimens of Cistuda blandingii Shall I get, How many box tortoises I have got that variety of Emys piota with the long toes on the fore feet.

My Mississippi cousins say they have got me snakes frogs, lizards, salamanders &c They did not get mammals fearing

[page turned written on left side] During the whole morning fights would often occur - the vanquished bird instead of keeping out of the way would again commence booming

the alcohol would spoil the fur. I wrote to them to remove the entrails & pop them in with the reptiles. & I hope they will get some yet. I hope they will get some squirrel skins I told them to skin them leaving the skull & legs whole on the skin & put it into alcohol. By the way would it not be a good idea for me to preserve skins in that way in preference to tacking them on a shingle

P.S. N.B. (See last page description of prairie cocks booming) Thus you see the sound is produced by forcing the air into the booming sac

k-ooom. boom. bo o oo. kwa-wk' kwock' [musical score] [musical score] sometimes 4 notes

qua qua-a qua-a-a kak kak kak [musical score] cackle

[page turned written on bottom] Prairie Cock Booming letter to Baird July 4 copy