Transcribe Ward, Henry A. Letter to Fairbanks, Franklin (1892-11-01)

ybg Ward's Natural Science Establishment, 16 to 26 College Avenue (opposite University) HENRY A. WARD, PRESIDENT CABLE ADDRESS "COSMOS" ROCHESTER, N. Y. </em Rochester, N. Y. > Nov. 1 1892. Col. Franklin Fairbanks, St Johnsburg. Dear Sir,

    I have today been looking over our

stock of </u Skeletons >, to see how small I can , with elimination, make a series which should give </u representative forms > in the several divisions of the animal Kingdom. I give you the result on the three crucial leaves. In the division of </u Mammals > I have undertaken to present (by a simple example) each one of the </u Orders >. In the remaining Classes - Birds, Reptiles & Batrochians, - I have copied the series to </u Families >; while Fishes are represented by a single azuthetic form, - the Cod. Here then we have, in eighteen selected forms, en epitome of the skeletal structure of the entire Vertebrate Kingdom. I do not see how it is possible to lessen this number. In fact nature has fixed and determined it beyond any option.