Bird Head Drawings, Box 32

About the Project

Fourteen year old Robert Ridgway saw a bird near his home that he couldn't identify. His desire to know was so strong that he wrote to the commissioner of patents, who, knowing little about birds, passed on this boy's letter and drawing to ornithological authority Spencer Baird. Professor Baird wrote back that the bird was a Purple Finch thus beginning a regular correspondence between young Ridgway and the second Secretary of the Smithsonian. Years later, Ridgway joined the Smithsonian and made international contributions in the areas of systematic nomenclature and color studies.   Please help us transcribe the notations on these bird head drawings from his personal papers using the special instructions under READ MORE.

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Project Progress (details)
33 pages completed

10

Contributing
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33

Total
pages