Transcribe Hornaday, W. T. Letter to Ward, Henry A. (1880-10-05)

ybg Rochester N. Y. Oct 5th 1880. Dear Prof. Ward;

    I send you today two drawings of

elephant, one showing him in full charge and the other standing at ease. Please inform me which you like best, and which design we shall follow. The larger one will be the most difficult to follow suc- cessfully, but will be the most striking. The drawing is a very poor one as I do not take time to shade it carefully until I know it is to be used. The propor- tions of the legs are not just right either, but taken as a whole you get the general attitude. The animal is going at great speed, head held high, trunk curled, ears and tail cocked, and he is taking enormous strides. Viewed from the front our ele- phant charging is simply </u overpowering >, and it is a grand object viewed from any position. This position will show how an elephant really does make a charge, a fact worth knowing to the general public, altho it may be of no very great interest to the comp. anatomist.

    By putting in a tree about 15 to 18 ft high we

can put the el. standing at ease and reaching up to break off a branch. But I suppose you would not want to put in a tree and I would not prefer it for myself either.

    We will be ready to bend the irons next

Thursday morning, </s sharp > and will hope to