Transcribe Baker, Arthur B. Letter to Ward, Henry A. (1883-10-15)

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Banner, Trego Co., Kansas,
Oct. 15/83

Dear Prof. Ward,

I will send a few lines by this 
mail tho' I have very little news to tell. The weather 
for the past three weeks has entirely beaten "the 
oldest inhabitant." Instead of the bright, sunshiny 
days usual at this time of year, we have had a cold, 
cloudy, sour, wet weather — thoroughly disagreeable. 
This has interfered with me in many ways — has 
prevented securing "prairie dogs" and digging fossils. 
The "dogs" are now in fair fur, and I hope soon to have 
the order filled. The Antelope I shall procure as late 
as possible. A "bunch" of 18 has for several weeks been 
in the ravines about 2 1/2 mi. from here. Southwick 
orders 10 "dogs" at $1.25, 10 Spermophilus 13-lineatus 
at 50¢ and 2 Coyotes at $4. I have done nothing on 
Prof. Wilder's order as yet, but shall soon commence 
operations.

Fossil digging is very uncertain. The large reptile 
head, of which I wrote you, I have now at the house and 
am cleaning it. The rock was so rotten that I was obliged 
to slide the slab off into a shallow box and set it plaster 
before attempting to move it. It promise to be a fine 
specimen— the bones are dark cinnamon brown and the rock, 
of a light cream color, is soft and easily removable. 
For a couple weeks after getting this I could find 
nothing but small fish jaws, fragments of reptiles, etc., till 
yesterday when four hours work yielded a reptile head 
like the preceding, two large fin spines, and another reptile 
head, which, tho' badly decayed, I may get in some shape. 
The spines I at first supposed to belong to a shark, but they 
now seem, from more perfect specimens, to be from the 
pectoral fins of a very large fish— ^part of^ the "shoulder girdle" being 
attached— somewhat thus. The spine is thick at base, 
but thin most of its length, and with one edge 
enameled and serrated.

[drawn diagram of supposed fish fossils, labelling the left pectoral fin as "about 18 in." and the right pectoral fin as "about 12 in."]

transcribed by Larry Cheng

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Banner, Trego Co., Kansas, Oct. 15/83

Dear Prof. Ward,

I will send a few lines by this mail tho' I have very little news to tell. The weather for the past three weeks has entirely beaten "the oldest inhabitant." Instead of the bright, sunshiny days usual at this time of year, we have had a cold, cloudy, sour, wet weather — thoroughly disagreeable. This has interfered with me in many ways — has prevented securing "prairie dogs" and digging fossils. The "dogs" are now in fair fur, and I hope soon to have the order filled. The Antelope I shall procure as late as possible. A "bunch" of 18 has for several weeks been in the ravines about 2 1/2 mi. from here. Southwick orders 10 "dogs" at $1.25, 10 Spermophilus 13-lineatus at 50¢ and 2 Coyotes at $4. I have done nothing on Prof. Wilder's order as yet, but shall soon commence operations.

Fossil digging is very uncertain. The large reptile head, of which I wrote you, I have now at the house and am cleaning it. The rock was so rotten that I was obliged to slide the slab off into a shallow box and set it plaster before attempting to move it. It promise to be a fine specimen— the bones are dark cinnamon brown and the rock, of a light cream color, is soft and easily removable. For a couple weeks after getting this I could find nothing but small fish jaws, fragments of reptiles, etc., till yesterday when four hours work yielded a reptile head like the preceding, two large fin spines, and another reptile head, which, tho' badly decayed, I may get in some shape. The spines I at first supposed to belong to a shark, but they now seem, from more perfect specimens, to be from the pectoral fins of a very large fish— ^part of^ the "shoulder girdle" being attached— somewhat thus. The spine is thick at base, but thin most of its length, and with one edge enameled and serrated.

[drawn diagram of supposed fish fossils, labelling the left pectoral fin as "about 18 in." and the right pectoral fin as "about 12 in."]

transcribed by Larry Cheng