THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY- 

 SMITHSONIAN EXPEDITION TO 

 THE EAST INDIES 



By W. M. MANN 

 Director, National Zoological Park 



On January 19, 1937, the writer, accompanied by Mrs. Mann and 

 Dr. Maynard Owen Williams, Chief of the Foreign Staff of the 

 National Geographic Magazine, sailed from Vancouver for the Orient, 

 to be joined there later by Messers. Roy Jennier and Malcolm Davis, 

 of the National Zoological Park, and by Layang Gaddi Sang, a zoo- 

 logical collector from Bangkok, Siam. The expedition was financed 

 by the National Geographic Society, and its purpose was to collect 

 living animals, birds, and reptiles to bring back for the National Zoo- 

 logical Park. Jennier and Davis, who sailed later, brought with them 

 a small collection of American animals which were turned over to 

 the zoos in Siantar, Johore, and Batavia. 



Early in March the party assembled at Pematang Siantar in Sumatra, 

 which was our base camp for the following five months. Dr. J. A. 

 Coenraad, director of the zoo at Siantar, befriended us and helped 

 us get in touch with native collectors. J. M. Lynkamp, manager of 

 the Naga Hoeta Tea Estate, allowed us to occupy a temporarily aban- 

 doned hospital, the Roemah Sakit Pantoean, where we were able to 

 live in comfort and to care for the animals that almost immediately 

 started coming in from the natives. 



After spending a month establishing relations with these native col- 

 lectors, Mrs. Mann, Dr. Williams, and the writer journeyed down the 

 Archipelago as far as Amboina in the Moluccas. Dr. Coenraad accom- 

 panied the party and made a hurried trip to Sorong, off the coast of 

 New Guinea, where he remained for 9 days, while the rest of the 

 party stayed at Piroe on the island of Ceram. The Moluccas were rich 

 in gaily colored lories and cockatoos. There were also obtained some 

 Megapodes, common in the wilds but exceedingly rare in captivity, 

 as well as several interesting reptiles, among which was the brilliant 

 and seldom seen amethystine python. The parties met again at Ambon, 

 Dr. Coenraad having made a collection of birds of paradise, crowned 

 pigeons, and other New Guinea desirables. They returned to Sumatra 

 via Macassar, where numerous additional specimens were obtained. In 

 Java the officials of the Zoo at Batavia presented us with a number 

 of rare specimens, including gavials from Borneo and tantillus storks. 



Shortly after our return to Siantar, our party was joined by Pro- 

 fessor and Mrs. C. T. Brues, of Harvard University, who came to 



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