EDNESDAY, JULY 7, 19 



645 Oceaja Alse. 

 Broolclyn 26, N.Y 

 July 1, 1965 



To x^hom it may concern, 



We authorize our son Robert Silberglied to make the trip, 

 ane to visit Mexico, 



arr/ Silberglied, fatner 



Mildred Silberglied, m 



CORNELL SCIENTISTS 

 PLAN AN ANT SA FARI 



ITHACA, N. y.~The study of 

 ants may lead to the discovery 

 of little - known principles of 

 evolution affecting all living 

 things, according to a Cornell 

 University entomologist. 



The entomologist, Prof. Wil- 

 liam L. Brown Jr. of the New 

 York State College of Agricul- 

 ture, will comb the rugged trop- 

 ical forests of Mexico this sum- 

 mer on an ant-study expedition. 



He will lead a 40-day, 5,000- 

 mile expedition to study the in- 

 sects, collect samples, classify 

 them and bring back live colo- 

 nies to Cornell for further 

 study. Unlike birds and many 

 other creatures, ants can be 

 found and handled easily, and 

 central Mexico has never been 

 ; explored extensively for this 

 j purpose. 



i Professor Brown hopes to find 

 jout where ants might fit into a 

 I theory that evolution takes 

 •place in tropical areas first, 

 ' then spreads out to other areas. 

 Tropical areas are a major evo- 

 lutionary center for ants. 



He also hopes to gather clues 

 as to why a group, such as ants, 

 can become so dominant in the 

 tropics. 



"Classification of ants is an 

 urgent problem," Professor 

 ; Brown said recently. *'It's criti- 

 1 cally important to obtain eco- 

 1 logical data on ants, and we are 

 I now equipped to do the job." 



With ultraviolet black lamp 

 i traps and other equipment for 

 day and night searching, Pro- 

 fessor Brown will collect ants in 

 various stages of develpment. 

 He will gather rare species, ob- 

 serve feeding and nesting hab- 

 its, map nests, and take color 

 photographs of the insects. 



