New Haven, Conn., December 29, 1893.

H. F. Wells, Esq.

Dear Sir: -

Your letter of December 19th was duly received, and your proposal to collect certain specimens for me next spring from the formation just above the Oreodon beds, and to send them to me direct from the field, I think well of.

What I want most of all just at present is *Protoceras*, which is only found in the upper beds, and I am willing to give you a fair price for all you send me. Anything from the same beds will also be acceptable.

I send you by this mail two or three pamphlets on Miocene Mammals. In one of them you will find a plate showing two figures of the skull of a female *Protoceras*. You will notice the small horn-cores, which will distinguish the skull at once from *Oreodon*, which is about the same size. The male *Protoceras* has three pairs of horns on the skull, some of them quite large, and also a sharp tusk. What I want especially is the male skull and the feet, but it is of course very important to collect every bone belonging to the skeleton found with the skull. It is especially important, also, not to try to cut the skull or feet out of the rock, but to leave each skull and each foot entirely surrounded by the rock if possible. One of the greatest mistakes made by collectors is to try to cut the rock away from a skull with rough tools in the field. This often takes away half the value of a skull. I suppose it

is impossible to collect anything at present, but if you could send me
any specimens now they would be worth more than in the spring. Please
let me know about this.

I enclose a printed list of directions for collecting fossils, which
I prepared for the collectors on my own expeditions. It will be an old
story to you, perhaps, but you may find something new in it as to what I
myself want.

I also enclose a few franked envelopes for correspondence with me,
and also a few separate franks for use on parcels sent by mail. A good
way to send small things by mail is in a tin can, sealed up with paper or
cloth, and the one frank will carry it free up to four pounds in weight or
even more.

( Copy )

New Haven, Conn., March 2, 1894.

H. F. Wells.

Dear Sir: -

Your letter of February 24th is at hand. I am sorry you have to go to the Agency for the pass, but it cannot be helped. I enclose herewith a cheque for thirty dollars ($30), which is the sum you name to cover all your expenses to the Agency and back. If you have to pay anything besides this for the pass itself, I will pay this also if you will get a receipt for the amount from the Agent, and send it to me. You understand, of course, that the Agent will give the pass to aid my work for the Government, and hence it will only be good while you are collecting for me.

Let me hear from you as soon as you receive this, and also after you have been to the Agency.

( Extract from letter to H. F. Wells, dated April 6th, 1894.)

Now a word about business matters. I wrote you in reply to your first letter that I would take all the Protoceras remains you would send me, at any fair price, and that I wanted these most of all. Let me now say in answer to your last letter that I am willing to take any of the more common small things also, from the Protoceras beds, at a fair valuation. In regard to the more common large things, I think you better send them all to me by freight, as I have already said. I can probably use a good many of them, and I think I could get you a sale for the others. Until this is done, I will hold them subject to your order. I think this will be fair for us both. If not, please let me know.

I might also use in the same way the smaller things from the Oreodon beds, but I do not care at present for any Brontotherium material. I will write you more fully about these matters later.

As a little money may come handy, I enclose a cheque for twenty-five dollars ($25.), which please acknowledge.

Did you get my letter of instructions, in which was enclosed a lot of envelopes and franks ? I sent it to Phinney about three weeks ago.