Mr. Earl Douglass

Missoula, Montana



Dear Mr. Douglass



Your letter of the sixteenth came to hand a few days ago upon my return from a trip to New York and Philadelphia.



I fear you must think me very remiss in the matter of your collection and I have often felt uncomfortable when I have seen or thought of them.  I think that it has not been really my fault, but that does not mend matters much.  As you perhaps know, Mr. Weed asked me to study all our Montana collection, and I wanted to take up the whole thing at once.  Our collection of Montana fossils is unusally large and my report could not be sandwiched in, as perhaps a smller one might.  I will not go into a more detailed explanation but content myself with saying that it is my confident expectation to get out my Montana report this winter.  But I do not mean to keep you waiting any longer I can promise to take up your collections in a few days