1850 TO 1865 341 
as complete as possible and in obtaining material for the embryology 
and metamorphosis of all common animals of which numerous speci- 
mens may easily be obtained. I shall send Verrill to Lawrence next 
week to negotiate the purchase of Mr. Martin’s California birds. 
I have lately entered into an arrangement with a backwoodsman 
for a collection of the fauna over which the Buffalo roves. I have 
sent a collector to the Feejees to explore that group of islands, and one 
of my students has gone to Zanzibar to remain there 3 or 4 years to 
explore the seas between Africa, Arabia and the Deckan. This will 
give me means for exchanges to obtain faunal collections from other 
collections. For my “Contributions” only do I propose to go on 
working systematically and critically at the principles of classifica- 
tion; but without special reference to the general arrangement of 
the Museum since any result so obtained can have reference only to 
one feature of the collection, the rank of the types in their respective 
classes. 
By the way I have already answered your requests about Echino- 
derms by informing Stimpson that I would gladly let him have every- 
thing I possess of that class, provided he gives me an opportunity 
of examining in my turn everything that he has. I want now only 
to call your attention to the fact that it would be worth his while 
to hunt up all the Echinoderms scattered through your storerooms, 
of which Verrill tells me there is a great quantity, and to send them 
to me for identification. As I have all the original drawings of the 
Exploring Expedition I could no doubt make out most of them and 
thus recover the localities which are carefully noted upon all the 
drawings. 
Very truly yours, 
L. Acassiz. 
From Dr. Henry Bryant to Spencer F. Baird. 
Boston, March 15th, 1861. 
My pear Pror. 
I never received a letter from you that gave me greater pleasure 
than yours of the twelfth. I have always been afraid from your 
excessive amiability that there was something wrong in your composi- 
tion,—too much carbonate of soda for example, so that the acidity 
