Bird Head Drawings, Box 46

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 these special instructions below.   When transcribing these drawings, begin with the number on the backing paper. It is usually in the upper left hand corner. Then go on to identify the images and the text on their pieces of paper, one image at a time. For example:   56   [[image: center]] 12053 Nyetali acadia Fort Tejon Cal. John Xantus   [[image: middle right]] 12053   [[image: lower left]] 12053   In several cases, one or more pieces of paper may obscure an image. We have included images with the papers on top rolled back so the full bottom image can be seen. When this happens, identify it like this: [[image: center, partially obscured]] or [[image: middle right, rolled back]].