XV. THE CARNEGIE MUSEUM EXPEDITION TO 

 CKXTRAI. SOUTH AMERICA, 1907-1910. 



Bv W. J. Holland, Director.^ 



As earl\- as the year 1904 the question of sending field-i)arties to 

 different parts of the South American continent for the purpose of 

 making thorough biological surveys, more particularly of the ichthyic 

 faunas of the various river-systems, came up for discussion between 

 the writer and Dean C. H, Eigenmann of Indiana University, the 

 present Curator of Fishes in the Carnegie Museum. Certain regions 

 were pointed out by Dr. Eigenmann as being of strategic importance 

 in ichthyic chorology; others as being of interest, because we hitherto 

 have possessed only a partial knowledge of the faunas inhabiting the 

 streams by which they are traversed. In the spring of 1904 a small 

 sum was set aside for the purpose of carrying on a systematic explora- 

 tion of one of these regions, the northern border of Patagonia, but for 

 reasons, which it is not necessary here to state, actual work was post- 

 poned. 



Explorations in the streams between Rio de Janeiro and Buenos 

 Aires seemed especially desirable, inasmuch as work in this area had 

 been more or less desultory. In the fall of 1906 Prof. J. C. Branner 

 invited Dean Eigenmann to join him in an expedition to Brazil on 

 which he was about to embark. Dr. Eigenmann was unable to accept 

 the kind invitation, but the opportunity to make use of the experience 

 of Professor Branner, gained by long sojourn in Brazil, appeared too 

 good to lose. Mr. John D. Haseman, a student of Indiana University, 

 desired to get the experience which such a trip would give him. After 

 conference between the writer and Dr. Eigenmann it was decided on 

 behalf of the Carnegie Museum to give Mr. Haseman a commission 

 to join Dr. Branner at Bahia. He was provided with the necessary 

 equipment and on October 5, 1907, set sail from New York, and 

 reached Bahia on the 19th of the same month. He arrived, to his 

 great disappointment, just as Dr. Branner was about to leave. Never- 



1 This is the first of a series of articles relating to the Expedition to Central South 

 America. 



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