Transcribe Rice, William North. Letter to Pickering, Thomas R. (1880-06-30)

Wesleyan University
Middleton, Conn., June 30, 1880.
Thomas R. Pickering, Esq.;
Dear Sir,
I sent out our box of skins and dried
plants to Mr. Earle last Saturday. I trust they arrived
safely.
Now in exchange for them we would like almost
any objects of natural history which are distinctively
Australian, especially representatives of those families of
animals and plants which are peculiar or almost peculiar
to that region. We have a few Marsupial Mammals, a
list of which I append to this letter. We have no birds
From that region, only three or four lizards, no fishes,
invertebrates (except shells of mollusks), or plants. We would like any Marsupials
we can get which are not included in the appended list.
A skin of a small cestraciont shark would be very
acceptable. A Peripatus in alcohol I would like to get if
possible. But it is needless to specify. Almost anything
you are likely to get will be acceptable. Directors of
local museums there will of course appreciate the fact
that the things most peculiar to Australia will be the