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

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I told them I should wait until they were ready for me. They want to see my setter dog however, and I am going to send it and a few other small things of mine now very soon. Palmer has been casting dead dogs of various kinds, and my setter "Coming to the Point" is to brought in direct comparison with a cast of a setter in similar attitude ! Rather a firey trial, don't you think ? But I am not afraid. Indeed it is just what I </u want. > Baird </u did > lend me the antelope, before I went to see him too. He had a </u fine > box made for it, and sent it to Boston by Express ! Of course I paid charges both ways. Rather more obliging than Agassiz & Allen ! I tried to get Goode into the notion of buying the "Fight in the Tree-tops " but he said they had no money given them to buy anything with, but only for the </u preservation > of the collections. Declared that in 10 years he did not think they had </u bought > over $1000 worth pf specimens. Well, when I get there I mean to go to work to get Congress to appropriate money with which to </u buy > (of H. A. W. !) skins of gorillas, orangs, lions, tigers, elephants, &e. &e. each as the U. S. N. M. will </u never > get in any other way. If they think I will be satisfied with mounting American mammals only they make a big mistake.

    Now let me </u beg > of you to keep my Washington plan

an absolute secret from </u everyone > except my own relations. </u Please > do not, in an unguarded moment, drop a hint to Mr Howell, or Lucas, or Baker, or Mrs Ward or </u anybody > in fact that I am even thinking of going to W. You know I may be kept out of it for a whole year or two yet, & I do not want my expectations known to anyone save your self. Lucas only knows that I went to Washington to see about Mrs Chamberlain's </u pension >. When I know that I