SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 

 UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



WASHINGTON, D. C. 



FelDruary 10, 1923. 



Mr. V/alter Deane; 

 29 Brewster Street, 

 Cambridge, Massachusetts . 



My dear Mr. Deane : 



Yo-ur letter of December 31, 1921, is before 

 me; in fact it has been before me i'ver since it 

 was received but I have been so much engrossed, 

 with proof-reading and other things that I have 

 neglected not only you but other correspondents, 



le received your Christmas present several 

 days before Christmas and strictly folloxved your 

 injunction and did not open it until Christmas 

 Morning. I want to thank you most heartily for 

 remembering us. 



I said that I had been busy with proof-reading 

 and the like. My cactus volume, volume 3, has long 

 been in proof but owing to the delays in having the 

 colored illustrations made it has been held up much 

 longer than we had hoped. Kebecca and I have read 

 carefully three proofs of it and there is one more 



