56 



PIIYTOCEOGRAPIIY AND EXPLORATION 



fibre-board boxes of suitable size to hold 

 the collected plant specimens for return 

 shipment. Pliofilm or other plastic 

 sheeting that may be purchased by the 

 \ard has been found to be extremely 

 useful in wrapping packages of plants, 

 to prexent absorption of moisture and 

 wetting. 



It is presumed that records of or- 

 dinary weather data will be maintained, 

 so that standard maximum-minimum 

 thermometers, etc., will be needed. 

 Suitable rain gauges can be improvised 

 from powdered milk tins or others of 

 proper size. A Brunton compass and 

 Ta\lor, or Short and Mason, altim- 

 eters are dependable. We have found 

 Coleman gasoline lamps to be prefer- 

 able to kerosene lanterns. 



4. Camp equipment. 



At higher altitudes, particularly in 

 sites where forest cover is not available, 

 tents with canvas floors and zippered 

 net fronts are most comfortable. 

 Water-proofed canvas tents are prac- 

 tical if problems of transport are not 

 serious. Othenvise, where weight is a 

 factor, tents made of Egyptian cotton 

 or treated nylon are best, although 

 thev are expensive. 



Naturally, the size of the party will 

 determine the kind of kitchen gear that 

 is used. Our expeditions usually com- 

 prise some twenty to thirty individuals, 

 including porters. Large heav)'weight 

 aluminum pots of 12 and 16 quart ca- 

 pacity have been found to be most 

 practical. We do not have separate 

 cooking for principals and porters. 

 Along with the ordinary' utensils it is 

 good to provide an eggbeater to prepare 

 milk from the dehydrated concentrate, 

 and a good, sizable mcatgrinder. Much 

 of the bush game is tough. 



5. Pliotographic equipment. 



Photographic records are an essen- 

 tial part of exploration. Our own equip- 



ment consists of a 16 mm. Bolex moving 

 picture camera, a VA X 3V4 Rolleiflcx 

 for black and white film, and two 

 35 mm. cameras, a Leica and Exakta 

 for kodachrome film. On expeditions of 

 several months' duration, it is well to 

 transport cameras and particularly film 

 in tight boxes that can be sealed, into 

 which may be introduced packets of 

 silica gell to maintain a reduced hu- 

 midity. 



6. Clothing and useful articles for 

 guides and porters. 



In many parts of tropical America 

 it is necessar^' to employ porters for the 

 transport of goods and equipment dur- 

 ing the final stages of expeditionary 

 travel. More often Indians, who from 

 small bovhood are trained to carry 

 heavy loads through the forests, pro- 

 vide the best labor. Second to keeping 

 the Indians well and feeding them well, 

 it is necessary to provide them with ade- 

 quate footwear and clothing, particu- 

 larly for high altitudes where it is cold 

 at night. Standard supplies, on our ex- 

 peditions, for each porter consist of a 

 pair of heavy basketball shoes, two 

 pairs of stout denim pants, two denim 

 shirts, a web belt, a sweatshirt, a stout 

 denim jacket, a blanket, a mummybag 

 bedroll, and a machete. . . . 



7. Food 



Ordinarily, and particularly on ex- 

 tended tours of exploration, it is impor- 

 tant to make food requirements both 

 simple and acceptable to all participat- 

 ing principals and porters alike. Staples, 

 such as rice, beans, tinned meats, sar- 

 dines, coffee, sugar, dehydrated milk, 

 cheese and salt, and in much of trop- 

 ical America the products of the tubers 

 of manihot known in Venezuela as 

 casabe (in English-speaking areas cas- 

 save-bread) and manioco, form the 

 basic foods. For the principals oatmeal 

 and cream-of-wheat for breakfast, a 



