Smithsonian notes 

 David G* Graham 



May II* I have been sick in bed with influenza and am still so weak that 

 I have to take things very carefully and easily. Labeled Box and 38 « 

 insects gathered about May 1st at Chengtu, Ssseohuan, China, altitude about 



1700 feet. 



May 14# The Military are commandeering coolies so much that most of the 

 farmers nearby have been carried away and the spring crops are going to waste. 

 I have had to prevent the netters, Li and Yao from leaving the cosjjound. They 

 have succeeded in catching night sKJths* The mon is disappearing and night 

 moth catching is inrproving daily. Pilled another box of insects. No. ^9, 

 May 10-14, Ghengtu, altitude 1700 feet. 



May Z2. Olvil war still continues and our collectors have not dared to 

 leave our yard during daytime but are catching night moths on our back porch 

 by means of the electric light. Fiiled insect box Ho. 40, May 15-22, alt. 

 1700 ft. 



May 25. Yesterday and today I have mailed about a dozen boxes of specimens 

 to Shanghai to be forwarded to the Smithsonian Institutio©. War conditions 

 still prevail at Ghengtu and our collectors cannot go about by day« They are 

 in danger of being forced to join the am^y. They collect night moths. 



June 1. The father of the netter Yao has died and he has gone home fbr 

 ten days. Li is getting lots of night moths. I recent ly bought a black bear 

 skin. Mammal 1168. 



June 6. Filled Boxes 41-45, all of insects caught at Chengtu, altitude 

 about 1700 ft. and wrapped them for shipping. Secured Mammal Ho« 1169, 

 a common house rat, gray in color. I skinned this to teach a scientific 

 student how to do it. 



June 16. The skin of the small black bear I bought and killed somm 

 time ago has almost been eaten up by vermin* I find also that the same 

 vermin are on the black bear skin I bou^t recently. 1*11 have to open 

 all the boxes and look over the skins and try every way to prevent the skins 

 reaching the Smithsonian Institution in a useless condition. Probably the 

 only hope is to use lots of arsenic. Mamsal Ho. 1169 is a common house rat 

 secured at Ghengtu, Szechuan, China. Manssals No. 1170-71 mere secured by 

 Jfeste-^i^-ito^peT* the hunter atnEseo Jia Keo, south of Suifti, Szechuan, China 

 on the Szechuan Yoianan Border. The collectors Ho and Yang are shut up by 

 the military operations beyond Kuanshien and cannot get out. There is a rumor 

 that there is war between Chinese and Tibetans beyond Tatse^ttbtr. Box No. 46, 

 insects collected between June 8 and 13, alt. 1700 ft. iCWU^ 



June 19. filled Box 47, Insects. Box 47 insects collected June 1-20, 1933, 

 altitude 1700 ft. Box 48, animal skins, value #10.00 



49 »^ ^ ^ 6.00 



50 black bear skin 45.00 market value #30.00 

 Today I fired one of the collectors who constantly plays possm instead of 



working. I found vermin very thick in the big black bear skin and put a lot 

 of arsenic in the skin. I packed some more specimens. 



