RK-400

[printed letterhead] No. [handwritten] 1489 [printed] Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C. [handwritten] December 5 [printed] 18 [handwritten] 57

My Dear Robert:

I was very sorry to learn by your letter of the 22, that you had had so much difficulty about getting money to come here. with. As far as regards the collections, the delay of some months will make no difference as far as I am concerned, as I am so busy at my big report on birds that I can scarcely. expect to touch the reptiles for some time to come; My chief concern has been to have you lose no time your medical studies. as the sooner you are provided with a definite profession, the better. If therefore there is any decided indication

that you cannot come here for some months, would it not be better for you to resume your course in Chicago

Perhaps you might manage to get here in March or April. A month or even less might be enough to enable you to determine your collections and label them. I should be glad to have you here as much longer as possible. both for your sake an my own, as I expect to make you very useful in various ways, but we must do the best that circumstances will allow.

You will I think have no difficulty in living here three months for $100.00. I have made sundry enquiries on the subject and am satisfied it can be done

I have had your papers filed at the medical college, and am told there will be no difficulty in the matter of entrance

[printed letterhead] No. [written] 1489 [printed] Smithsonian Institution, [written] 2 [printed] Washington, D.C. 18

[handwritten] You must be careful not to do anything rash in the matter of borrowing money at usurious interest. you may compromise yourself too much by it.

I would be very glad to see your collection of birds as soon as possible, as I have frequent occasion to refer to all the specimens I can get of various species. I want to look at all the warblers you have, young and old. flycatchers, wrens, and the sparrows generally. from whatever region. The Minnesota mammals I would also like to see very much. For the reptiles & fishes I could wait very well for a while, although it might be a good plan to send on all the vertebrata. I wish you

would also send if you dont come yourself soon, a list of the birds you already have for the N. West University so that I may begin to select the diferences from our duplicates

I dont suppose there would be any expenses of moment in regard to the working out of the collection here, and preparing for transmission to Chicago, that we could not provide from our funds. So that this need not enter into the account we can also probably procure for you any text books you might want for study

I wrote you that the Commissioner of Patents had ordered the continuation of your mammal article. This will bring you in enough to cover your expenses here, but the pay may not be realized before the printing of the report in spring...

Yours truly S F Baird

Robt. Kennicott N. U. Ill