320 PROCEEDINGS OF TK3 NATIONAL MTJSEUM vol. 90 



Smithsonian Institution, 



December 22, 1899. 

 Deab Sib: 



I take pleasure in acknowledging the receipt of your letter of the eighth 

 instant, advising me that you have transferred to the National Museum all 

 the vertebrate fossils collected by the late Professor O. C. Marsh belonging 

 to the United States Government, subject only to the condition that such 

 material as is required may be used for study and illustration in completing 

 the monographs which were in preparation by Professor Marsh at the time of 

 his death. 



The addition of this immense collection of the most important American fossil 

 remains to the treasures already assembled in the National Museum will, I 

 am sure, afford the greatest satisfaction to all workers in the field of pale- 

 ontology both at home and abroad, and you will permit me to add a personal 

 word in appreciation of your untiring efforts to facilitate in every way possible 

 the great task connected with the removal of the collection from New Haven 

 to Washington. 



During the coming year I expect to have two preparators engaged in work- 

 ing out the matrix specimens still uncleaned, and confidently hope that it 

 may be possible in a few years to have the entire collection made available 

 for study and a selected series for public exhibition. From this latter series 

 the public will be able to form a con'ect idea as to the number, variety and 

 great size of these wonderful extinct creatures of the western country, and 

 will undoubtedly be impressed with the extent and importance of the work 

 of the paleontological divisions of the Geological Survey and the marvelous 

 industry and intelligence displayed by Professor Marsh in bringing together 

 this great collection. 



Yours respectfully, 



(Signed) S. P. Langley. 



The Honorable Chas. D. Walcott, 

 Director, U. 8. Geological Survey. 



The bulk of this collection consisted of specimens from the Jurassic 

 (Morrison), Upper Cretaceous (Lance), Oligocene (Chadron), and 

 Pliocene (Republican Eiver) deposits of western North America. 

 Lesser lots deemed worthy of special mention were from the Triassic 

 of North Carolina, Cretaceous (Arundel) of Maryland, Upper Cre- 

 taceous of Montana (Judith River), Upper Cretaceous of Colorado 

 (Denver and Arapahoe), Upper Cretaceous of Kansas (Niobrara), 

 and Miocene and Oligocene of Oregon (John Day and Mascall), be- 

 sides numerous other small miscellaneous lots. 



Many of the specimens came to the Museum either fully or par- 

 tially prepared, but the bulk of the material was in the same con- 

 dition as when received from the field. In fact, three years' 

 collections are still in the original field boxes (49) and have never 

 been opened. In transmitting the fifth and final portion of the 

 Marsh collection. Dr. Walcott in 1900 estimated it as comprising 

 15,000 specimen.s having a value of not less than $150,000. 



The Jurassic part of the collections, which exceeded all others in 

 bulk and weight, was especially rich in the remains of Stegosaurus, 



