DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

WASHINGTON, D. C., January 3, 1896.

Prof. O. C. Marsh,

New Haven,

Connecticut.

Dear Sir:

I have received your letter of December 26, 1895, in which you announce the sending of electrotypes of the 27 figures in the text of your paper in the Sixteenth Annual which were not included in the previous sending. They have been received.

It is fortunate that you could do this, and I thank you for doing it. The 211 wood-cuts have not yet been found. The records point to the Government Printing Office as the place where they ought to be, but that office has not succeeded in finding them.

It is probable, therefore, that we shall be obliged to depend on you for the plate electros also, which were not in the previous sending; but of this I will write you again a little later.

(3445--G. R.-- 1895.)

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

WASHINGTON, D. C., Jan. 20, 1896.

Prof. O. C. Marsh,

New Haven, Conn.

My dear Sir:

Herewith I send you a copy of a letter received from Prof. E. D. Cope and also a copy of my reply thereto. Will you not give me your views in reference to the publication of the material to which he alludes ?

2102 Pine Street, Philadelphia, Pa.

January 17, 1896.

Dear Mr. Walcott:

I have been since 1867 accumulating material for a monograph of the extinct cetacea of the Neocene beds of North America, and have published papers from time to time on the subject. I send by post the last one.

It is now full time to gather this material together and publish the results with good figures. There are known to me from the Neocene 57 species. Of most of these characteristic material exists. I have finished the M. S. work on the part which treats of the Balaenidae, which includes 16 species. Perhaps of the entire number 7 species have been already sufficiently illustrated by Leidy, but the remaining 50 species are either not at all, or very insufficiently figured;-mostly not at all.

I write to ask whether the U. S. Geological Survey would publish such a monograph as one of its 4° volumes, at an early day, or so soon as I could prepare it. There would be required about 50 plates, some of them folding. Perhaps 40

might answer, as I have not yet plotted them all out.

The blockade, so to speak, of this subject, has lasted
long enough. The species are essential to the determination
horizons of the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Material is abundant
and when studied stratigraphically some important results
will be brought out.

The book might run up to 250 pages. If the Survey has any
material it might be used, if you desire it.

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Prof. E. D. Cope,

2102 Pine Street, Philadelphia,
My dear Sir:

In reply to your letter of Jan. 17, in relation to
the question of the publication of the monograph on the
extinct Cetacea of the Neocene beds of North America, I beg
to state as follows:

Since taking charge of the Geological Survey I have considered, in connection with the publication of paleontologic material, the question of ownership and place of deposit of the types and the other specimens studied in connection with the essay or monograph to be published. When this material has been collected by the Government and is the property of the Survey or of the National Museum, there is no question as to the propriety of publishing the results of studies made upon it, provided that these results are properly prepared; but if, on the other hand, the material belongs to individuals or to institutions which have no official connection with the Survey or the National Museum, I have questioned the propriety of its being published by the Survey. I am aware that it has not been viewed in this way in the past, and there are doubtless

E. D. C.--2.

cases where an exception might properly be made; that is,
be of permanent value to the Survey in the prosecution of its
areal geologic work, and if there was no probability of its
being published elsewhere. I do not believe in blockading
the publication of any material that it is rightfully within
the province of the Survey to publish.

(162, '96)

K.

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

WASHINGTON, D. C., February 4, 1896.

Prof. O. C. Marsh,

New Haven, Conn.

Dear Sir:-

I received your letter referring to the transfer of the seventy-two boxes of vertebrate fossils to the National Museum, and have formally transferred them.

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

WASHINGTON, D. C.,

Feb. 7, 1896.

Prof. O. C. Marsh,

New Haven, Conn.

Dear Sir:

I sent you a few days since a copy of a letter from Professor Cope in relation to the publication of a monograph on the extinct Cetacea of the Neocene, and also a copy of my reply to him. A few days after I received another letter from Professor Cope, a copy of which is inclosed. In justice to Professor Cope, a reply must be sent shortly. As you are now in possession of the correspondence, I should like to have an expression of opinion from you at your earliest convenience, before I reply to him. If you do not care to express an opinion, I will consult with Dr. Goode, of the National Museum, in regard to Professor Cope's request.

Phila., Jan. 21, 1896.

Dear Dr. Walcott:

Yours is received. As it leaves the question of
publication somewhat open, I will call your attention to what
seems to me to be an important consideration in this connec-
tion.

If the Survey maintains the position that it will not pub-
lish paleontological monographs unless they are based on
material in its possession, or collected by its employees,
it forever precludes itself from publishing a complete monograph
on any paleontologic subject. This is especially true of
vertebrate paleontology, where many types are represented
by but few, or by single specimens, which circumstances have
often put into possession of persons and institutions other
than the U. S. Geol. Survey.

The specimens on which the monograph I referred to is
based are in the possession of the Acad. Nat. Sciences of Phila.,
the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, and the Woman's Col-
lege, do., and my own collection. I hope also to examine some
types in the U. S. National Museum shortly.

It is probable (though I do not know) that your Survey
possesses some such material. In any case, no one of these
institutions could publish a complete monograph without the
use of material from the others, which I have now gotten

together but can not keep together long.

P. S.- I will add that the Cetacae are the only vertebrate
fossils from the Neocene of the central region to be of any
considerable service in questions of stratigraphy. I have
already detected stratigraphic characters by this means, which
will prove of real importance.

E. D. C.

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

WASHINGTON, D. C.

Feb. 12, 1896.

Prof. O. C. Marsh,

New Haven, Conn.

Dear Sir:

I write to state that the collection of vertebrate
fossils that was sent to the National Museum in July, 1890,
and is now on exhibition there, has been formally transferred
to the Museum, by letter of this date.

(435, '96)

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

WASHINGTON, D. C.

March 12, 1896.

Dear Sir:-

Folios of the Geologic Atlas needed for field use can
be obtained by written request to the Director, when approved by
the Director or Chief Clerk. Folios for this purpose are ex-
pendable, and are limited to those areas adjoining the field work
of the geologist requesting them. Those for office reference
can be obtained from the Library as usual, and must be returned in
good condition.

Prof. O. C. Marsh,
U. S. Geological Survey.

To Authors of Papers to be published by the Geological Survey:

I find it necessary to remind authors of the Departmental circular dated July 23, 1894, which requires of them well-prepared manuscript and prohibits extensive changes in proof. At the Government Printing Office work has recently been suspended on one of the Survey publications because of the many and extensive changes made by an author in his proof, and the Public Printer has informed me that it is his intention - as it is, he believes, his duty - to refuse to expend the public money by making radical changes in proof. Henceforth, therefore, a more stringent application of the Departmental regulation referred to will be made in the Editorial Division of the Survey. Reasonable emendation may be made in galley proof, but not radical alterations; and in page proof such changes only will be permitted as are comparatively slight and involve but little readjustment of type. If an author makes changes in his proof exceeding this limit, either they will be disregarded or work on his paper will be discontinued.

These regulations apply to illustrations as well as to letterpress. Authors have the privilege of inspecting the drawings for their illustrations before they are transmitted to the Public Printer, and in the proofs no change beyond reasonable emendation will be permitted.

Director.

March 25, 1896.

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

WASHINGTON, D. C.

June 1, 1896.

Prof. O. C. Marsh,

New Haven, Conn.

Dear Sir:

Mr. R. C. Hills, of Denver, Colo., who was in a day
or two ago, told me that he sent to you in 1889 a small col-
lection of vertebrate fossils from the Huerfano Basin and
that he would now like to have the determination of the species.
He is mapping the Trinidad sheet for the Survey, which will
be published as one of the geologic folios, and it is necessary
to have the determinations of the fossils at the earliest date.

Will you not look the matter up and send Mr. Hills the
list of determinations, at the earliest practicable date ?,
and oblige,

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

WASHINGTON, D. C., June 24, 1896.

Prof. O. C. Marsh,

Paleontologist, New Haven, Conn.

Dear Sir:

For the vertebrate paleontologic work under your charge
there has been allotted, for the fiscal year ending June 30,
1897, the sum of $2,000, which amount shall cover the salaries
and all expenses whatsoever incurred in connection with the
work.