Transcribe Lucas, F. A. Letter to Ward, Henry A. (1879-09-07)

birds and a number for Cambridge. William has stuffed sword fish head and some Cambridge birds. De Kempeneor has been finishing up small skeletons & Joe has been roughing out alcoholics and running the maceration Ketttle. And that is about all. Heall & Co sent up a lot of Botany boxes which I sent over to Wm Seelze's although I don't feel at all sure that they were to go there. And just here I would say that you do not tell anyone half enough of your plans and wishes to have things run smoothly. It is far too common an occurrence to have people write or come to inquire about affairs that no one but yourself knows anything of. About three months ago you reprimanded me severely for telling someone that you hag no plaster casts of fishes. You said that you ^had^ just made an exchange for some. Now neither before nor since that has </u one word > been said about plaster fishes, and you had never expressed even a </u wish > to have any. You say that we are not supposed to know about such things. Unfortunately we </u are supposed > to know, but don't. How would you in your various business transactions like to be perpetually met with replies from clerks that they were sorry, but knew nothing in regard to their business? Just after that you found fault because a letter asking