Transcribe Hornaday, W. T. Letter to Ward, Henry A. (1882-01-27)

hearing, I would very naturally have made those corrections, </u before > the paper was printed! Could I have foreseen how things were going to be managed and both your wishes and my own thwarted in regard to the paper you may de - pend </u I > should never have worked to have it issued during your absence. P. S. If anyone feels inclined to charge me with having voluntarily dropped work on the Bulletin, I shall be most happy to answer the charge.

     There that growl is growled, and pass we to pleasanter

topics. The big gorilla is done, up to the end of the first stage I mean, and is drying nicely. It took me just 22 days of 9 hours (four of which were spent in cleaning the skin) and I presume it will take me six days longer to take him through the last stage. Considering the state of the skin I am </u almost > satisfied with the gorilla. I modeled his face line for line after the fine cast of gorilla you got over in Germany somewhere. We have had a big discussion over the cast. Lucas & Bailly swear it is a model, out and out. Hornaday & Webster swear it was made in a mould taken of a </u dead animal. > Prevotel has just sworn that he saw the original of this cast in alcohol, entire in Paris, that he knew when the mould was made of it, and by whom, in Paris. He said all this before he knew anything about our dispute, and volunteered it all. Lucas will not accept Prevotels evidence. Can </u you > tell us all about the cast ? Mind I do not refer to that monstrosity from Princeton, which is enough to scare a </u gorilla > into fits ! Lucas and I do not agree on the face of my gorilla. I am so dead certain sure I am right that I don't feel disposed to give in this time, and I want you to see the big beast before it goes away & give an opinion upon it. Now I tell you, if you only had </u this > wonderful animal in your San Francisco collection he would advertise you as much as a