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[[circled]] ^[[1]] [[/circled]] ^[[Ridgeway]] [[underlined]] ^[[Prof Baird]] [[/underlined]] ^[[Curator Report]] Washington, September 23, 1884. G. Brown Goode, Esq., Assistant Director, U. S. National Museum. ^[[The modified plan seems to be an excellent one GBG]] ^[[Very good SFB]] Dear Sir: After reconsidering the matter of the bird exhibit for the New Orleans Exposition, from the standpoint of very limited or exhausted funds, I have arrived at the conclusion that a collection formed on the following plan is the only one practicable under the circumstances. At least, I cannot see how it will be possible, with limited time and resources at our command, to get up a collection that will reflect credit on the Museum on any other basis. The plan which seems to me most practicable and desirable is the following:--- I. A collection of North American game birds to be the leading feature. II. A collection of birds known to be beneficial. III. A collection of birds known to be injurious to Agriculture. IV. A collection of European birds to illustrate--- [[underlined]] a. [[/underlined]] The principal game birds of Europe. [[underlined]] b. [[/underlined]] European birds whose vernacular names have been transferred to American species ([[underlined]] e.g. [[/underlined]] Partridge, Quail, Ortolan, etc.), and [[underlined]] c. [[/underlined]] Certain European birds well known to Americans through literature but which few people in this country have ever seen, as the Nightingale, Skylark, Linnet, etc. If considered desirable, a few of the peculiar or char-
Transcription Notes:
Reveiwed. SFB = Spencer Fullerton Baird
GBG = G. Brown Goode.
Added in instructions suggested markup of handwritten additions to typed pages ie ^[[text]]. -@siobhanleachman