Transcribe Townsend, Charles Haskins. Letter to Ward, Henry A. (1879-12-04)

Elders Ridge Pa Dec 4h 1879

 "    16

Prof Henry A. Ward

      Dear Sir
             Yours of 

the 21st ult received.

        It was with

many misgivings. that I even- tured to address you in the first place and my reason for so doing was this; I thought perhaps it would be best for me to study natural history awhile before going on with my college course and that in an establishment like yours I would become more familiar with nat- Ural history and the work of the naturalist, han in any other