4 PATAGONIAN EXPEDITIONS : NARRATIVE. 



the value of which the interested investigator will draw his own conclu- 

 sions, based upon the contents of this and the other volumes of the Reports, 

 always remembering, it is hoped, that the personnel of the expeditions never 

 consisted of more than two persons, I should like to emphasize the fact 

 that the expeditions were essentially palaeontological. There were three of 

 these expeditions. The first extended from March i, 1896, to July 16, 

 1897, and consisted of the writer and Mr. O. A. Peterson as assistant. 

 The second extended from November 7, 1897, to November 9, 1898, and 

 was composed of the writer, with Mr. A. E. Colburn as taxidermist. The 

 third was carried on from December 9, 1898, to September i, 1899, when 

 Mr. O. A. Peterson again accompanied the writer as assistant. 



The Expeditions were planned and carried out by the present writer. 

 Professor W. B. Scott, as head of the Department of Geology and Palaeon- 

 tology in the University, gave freely his influence and best efforts toward 

 their accomplishment. The undertaking received the moral support, much 

 encouragement and substantial financial assistance from various friends 

 and alumni of the University and from others interested in the promo- 

 tion of our knowledge of natural history. 



The following gentlemen may be mentioned as among the chief con- 

 tributors to the first two Expeditions : Messrs. John W. Garrett, H. W. 

 Garrett, 1 M. Taylor Pyne, C. H. Dodge, F. Speir, C. C. Cuyler, Mor- 

 ris K. Jesup, P. A. Rollins. To each of these the writer wishes to extend 

 his best personal thanks, and at the same time improve the opportunity 

 to accord to them in these volumes that public recognition which their 

 generosity has so justly merited. The expenses of the third expedition 

 were for the most part met by the present writer. 



Much valuable assistance was received from the United States Bureau of 

 Ethnology and the Department of Agriculture at Washington, from each 

 of which honorary appointments were given the writer, which secured for 

 the expeditions official recognition in the countries visited and thus greatly 

 facilitated the work. In this connection we were under special obligations 

 to Mr. W J McGee, who was ever ready to aid us in every way possible. 

 Our thanks are also due to Dr. C. Hart Merriam, of the Department of 

 Agriculture. 



To the Lamport and Holt and the W. R. Grace S. S. lines we were 

 indebted for reduced rates of passage to and from South America. 



1 Since deceased. 



