Transcribe Lucas, F. A. Letter to Ward, Henry A. (1882-01-13)

Now to return to work. The last M. L. Z. was small owing to lack of material, and the coming one will not be very heavy as we have no large mammals to swell the bill. </u Thylacines > will be put up as \high as possible since you say it is so rare. Judging by the indifferent </u Sarcophagus ? you </s yet > sent that is also very scarce. Am having a series of the New Guinea and Duke of York birds mounted as you directed, to be sent pn approval, and I think that very likely many will be taken. Am sorry that Mr. Brown "lit into you" so heavily on birds for his prices as a rule are high. Gerrard sells many things at same price. Brown's mammals would be very cheap if there were not so many of them. Am having a series mounted. Gerrard says nothing about wishing </u H. hyena >. The New Guinea skins were cheap as they contained so many Birds of Paradise but there are a great many horrible skins among them and a drawback to the lot (</u Paradise > except) is that they are unsalable as skins and must be sold mounts. What troubles me is he non-appearance of the large lot - including Mammal skins, alcoholic Platypus & Ceratodus etc - which you shipped in June. So much hinges on these that it is very annoying not to have them come, the more that there is a </u possibility >