Transcribe Ward, Henry A. Letter to Baird, Spencer Fullerton (1882-04-20)

                 Ward's Natural Science Establishment
                                    No. 2 College Avenue opposite University,

San Francisco, April 20, 1882 Dear Professor Baird,

  I was much surprised this morning by news

from Mr. Lucas which both pleases and troubles me. He tells me that he applied for a place at the Smithsonian, and that you have given it with the understanding that he shall be there promptly on 1st of May. Mr. Lucas has been with me for, I believe, 12 or 13 years, and has served faithfully and well. He has been my foreman at one time after another in about every department of my business, For the last 3 or 4 years he has been confined solely to Vertebrate Zoology in its several divisions. His work has been to oversee Ostrologists & Taxidermists; to cut out their work for them and to attend to its execution. Also to receive, determine, label, catalogue, inventory and preserve all our large store of skins and skeletons. Finally, to make lists and cata- logues and attend to orders. You see at once how im- portent has been his position and how it has brought him for years in daily connection and most intimate fam- iliarity with many thousands of animal forms, both American and exotic He has been a most diligent student, working with the leading authors and system- atic Zoologists with several hundred of their works which