On March 9, 1942, the Parsons College Biology Department undertook the identification of the J. M. Shaffer collection which had been on display at the Fairfield Public Library Museum for many years. The collection was found to contain many specimens without adequate collecting data. Each bottle had a number which corresponded with one kept in a ledger by Doctor Shaffer. Unfortunately through the years the ledger has been misplaced. All of the specimens in the collection fall within their established ranges with the exception of a single Phrynosoma cornutum. This specimen has only the date 1880 attached to the bottle. A population of this lizard in southern Iowa is extremely unlikely. As Keokuk is located in the extreme southeastern corner of the state it is impossible to determine whether all of the specimens were secured in Iowa, or if some were collected in either Missouri or in Illinois, just across the river
