January 5, 1900.] 



SCIENCE. 



23 



ary mammals. Among the types are the 

 following : 



Dinosaurs. 

 Diplodocxts longus. 

 Labrosaunis ferox. 

 Camptosaiirus nanus. 

 Triceratops sukatus. 

 Triecratops calif ornis. 

 Triceratops obttisa. 

 Pleoroccelus nanus. 

 Ceratosaurus nasicornis- 

 Ceratops monianus. 

 Ceratops aliicornis. 



Crocodiles. 

 Bhylidodo/i rodratus. 



Snakes. 

 Coniophis precedens. 



Jurassic Mammals. 

 Paurodon valens. 

 Manacodon rarus. 

 Enneodon crassus. 

 Enneodon affinia. 

 Laodon venusius. 

 Cretaceous Mammals. 

 PriconodoH crassits. 

 Cimolodon agilis. 

 Telacodon prxstans. 

 Oracodon cenulus. 

 Allacodon pumilis. 

 Batodon tenuis. 

 Allacodon fortis. 



I requested Mr. Lucas to make an ap- 

 praisement of the value of the specimens. 

 He states that this is a very difficult thing 

 to do, but that many of the specimens 

 could not be replaced, and some specimens, 

 like the skulls of the Triceratops, should 

 be worth at least $5,000 each, while crania 

 of Titanotherium are worth from $50 to 

 $250 each, according to perfection, and that 

 an estimate of the value of the entire col- 

 lection will be upwards of $150,000. This 

 is, of course, tentative, as some of the ma- 

 terial has not been worked out at all, and 

 some not removed from the boxes in which 

 it was shipped from the field. 



It is to be recalled that these collections 

 were made by Professor Marsh during his 

 connection with the Geological Survey, 

 from 1882 to 1892 inclusive ; that prior to 

 his connection with the Survey he made 

 large collections, including the toothed 

 birds, the Dinocerata, Brontosaurtis, many 

 Dinosaurs, and the best Titanotherium yet 

 discovered. He also purchased numerous 

 collections after the stopping of allotments 

 for his work in 1892. These collections 

 were transferred to Yale University some 

 time prior to his death. 



As there has been considerable comment 

 in relation to this matter, I send you a 



copy of a report on the examination of the 

 collections under Professor Marsh's charge, 

 made by me to the Director of the Geolog- 

 ical Survey, in 1892. 



I twice visited N'ew Haven while the col- 

 lections were being packed, and am fully 

 convinced that all material belonging to the 

 Government has been transferred to Wash- 

 ington. Mr. Lucas reports that the Trus- 

 tees of the Peabody Museum in Kew Haven 

 gave him every facility for packing the col- 

 lections, and that the records were so com- 

 plete that no difficulties arose in determin- 

 ing those specimens which belonged to the 

 Government and those which were the 

 property of the Peabody Museum. 



The transfer of these great collections to 

 "Washington without the loss of any mate- 

 rial, either through imperfect recording or 

 through misunderstanding as to the owner- 

 ship of specimens, reflects the greatest credit 

 on the business-like methods and the in- 

 tegrity of Professor Marsh. The addition 

 of the material to the National Museum 

 places it in the front rank among museums 

 in its collection of vertebrate fossils. It is 

 necessary that some gaps in the collections 

 be filled, and I sincerely trust it will be 

 possible for the Museum to do this at an 

 early date. 



Yours respectfully, 

 (Signed) Chas. D. Walcott, 



Director. 

 Inclosurb, 



Smithsonian Institution, 



December 22, 1899. 

 Deae Sir : I take great pleasure in 

 acknowledging the receipt of your letter of 

 the eighth instant, advising me that j'ou 

 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 re- 

 quired may be used for study and illustra- 



