Editorial Cornrncnt. 171 
EDITORIAL COMMENT. 
The Marsh Collection of Vertebrate Fossils 
Palaeontologists both at home and abroad will .be pleased 
to learn of the transfer from New Haven to the National Mu- 
seum at Washington, of the large collection of vertebrate fos- 
sils made by the late professor O. C. Marsh for the United 
States Geological Survey. It will be remembered that pro- 
fessor Marsh worked under the auspices of the survey from 
1882 to 1892, and during this time made enormous collections 
of vertebrate fossils wdiich were taken by him to the Peabody 
Museum building at Yale College to be worked up. A portion 
of the collection was transferred to Washington during 
but at the time of professor Marsh's death a very large propor- 
tion still remained at Yale. 
Very shortly after the death of professor Marsh the director 
of the survey informed secretary Langley of the Smithsonian 
Institution, of his intentions regarding the collection and re- 
quested that the museum send someone to New Haven to take 
charge of the w'ork of packing and shipping. This was accord- 
ingly done, the last lot being received at Washington in No- 
vember last, and the formal transfer being made by Mr. Wal- 
cottt under date of December 8, an abstract of his letter and 
that of secretary Langley in reply, being given herewith. 
U. S. Geological Survey, 
Washington, D. C. 
. December 8, i8go. 
Prof. S. P. Langley, 
Secretary, Smithsonian Institute, 
Washington, D. C. 
Dear Sir: 
I have tlie honor to state that all the vertebrate collections of the 
kite Prof. O. C. Marsh, belonging to the Government, have been 
shipped from New Haven, Conn., and are now transferred to the 
custody of the U. S. National Aiuseum. suijject only to the use of such 
material as may be necessary for study and illustration in the com- 
pletion of the monographs that were in course of preparation by 
professor Marsh at the time of his death. 
The actual number of specimens represented in this collection can 
not be stated. They range in size from minute teeth of fossil mam- 
