Maguire 



Exploration 



57 



limited amount of marmalade and but- 

 ter, provide the maximum luxur^' that 

 transport can afford. Onions, if obtain- 

 able, and fresh native fruits supplement 

 the fare. In X'^enezuelan rivers an abun- 

 dance of fish is usually to be caught, 

 and in the more remote places a rea- 

 sonable amount of game can be found. 

 With such a table there are usually 

 no dietary problems, and seldom are 

 vitamin supplements necessar}\ We 

 have found that dehydrated foods, with 

 the exception of milk and eggs, are 

 usually not practicable. It is especially 

 essential that food in ample quantity 

 be on hand for all members of the ex- 

 pedition. On the present expedition, 

 based on needs for 2400 man-days, we 

 are providing quantities much as fol- 

 lows: tinned meat, corned beef and 

 ham, 1000 tins; sardines and salmon, 

 1000 tins; rice, 500 pounds; beans, 300 

 pounds; refined sugar, 200 pounds; 

 brown sugar 120 pounds; coffee, 50 

 pounds; dehydrated milk, 150 pounds; 

 salt, 250 pounds; oil, 10 gallons; casabe, 

 1000 pounds; manioco, 1500 pounds; 

 cheese, 100 pounds; oatmeal, 50 pounds; 

 cream-of-wheat, 50 pounds; onions, 100 

 pounds; dried prunes, apricots, and 

 raisins, 100 pounds. Tliese staples vyill 

 total some 4900 pounds, which together 

 with the few special things, will exceed 

 more than 5000 pounds of food which 

 must be transported nearly 1000 miles 

 of river travel and travel in bush by 

 foot. . . . 



8. Transportation. 



On the present expedition, when we 

 leave Sanariapo at the head of the great 

 rapids of the Orinoco, we will have, as 

 indicated above, nearly 1000 miles 

 more of river travel to accomplish in 

 our own boats. To move the 5000 

 pounds of food and equal weight of 

 gear and equipment, and total of 20 

 members of the expedition, a large 

 "falca" (dugouts some 50 feet long 



with built-up sides) powered by a 35 

 horsepower Johnson outboard motor, 

 a small "falca" powered by a Johnson 

 10 horse motor, and four dugout 

 canoes, will make up our flotilla. . . . 



COLLECTION OF PLANT SPECIMENS 



Field practice is as variable as are 

 the natures of the collectors. Some 

 competent practitioners have written 

 rather excoriatingly about the use of 

 vascula. We have used collecting cans 

 successfully. Others preserve collected 

 material in formaldehvde or alcohol, to 

 await later pressing and dr}'ing. We feel 

 that the preparation of plants can best 

 be done in the field. We do not use 

 hand presses, except in the confines of 

 our boats during river travel, but pre- 

 pare our materials as neatly and effec- 

 tively as possible under the more effi- 

 cient protection and facilities of well- 

 made camps. Collections are obtained 

 in large series, numbered, wrapped in 

 cloth or large leaves, chiefly of mono- 

 cotyledonous plants, and carefully 

 packed and transported in large canvas 

 bags, each to be returned to camp in a 

 protected carrying basket by a porter. 

 Attempt is made to collect in series 

 of 5-10 specimens, so that distribution 

 may effectively be made to principal 

 herbaria. 



An expedition of the character now 

 mounted should yield for a period of 

 three effective months in the field 

 some 2000 to 2500 collection numbers, 

 with a total of 20,000 or more sheets. 

 It should be pointed out most empha- 

 tically that an expedition should not 

 be considered terminated with the suc- 

 cessful transport of collected materials 

 back to the home institution. Rather fs 

 the project completed onlv when the 

 material has been studied and reported 

 upon, and the specimens distributed 

 throughout the world. 



