GOUCHER COLLEGE 
Baltimore, Maryland 
January 17, li<24 
Kr. Waldo I. SohEitt, 
National Museum, 
Washington, D.C. 
My dear Mr, Schmitt: 
I do not know whether you hare noticed the announce- 
ment of the Carnegie institution in Science of January 4, 
stating that the Tortugas Laboratory will he open next summer 
to a small number of investigators. 
If you are interested in making your own collections 
of Tortugas Decapods, and working them up in the excellent 
fashion in wnich you handled those of San Francisco Bay, this 
may possibly be Just your opportunity. 
I can assure you tnat the decapod fauna of Tortugas 
is fairly rich, and that its ecological study would be very 
interesting; so interesting, indeed, that if you provided the 
necessary taxonomic basis, and did not care to go farther, I 
should almost be tempted to undertake it myself some day; or, 
if you cared to go no farther, to colls-borate with you in some 
way in working up the ecological side, where my experience with 
the divinghood, and a certain amount of information already 
gatnered regarding tne uehavicur of the crabs in nature, might 
be of some value, 
I should be glad to knew hov.' you feel about it. For 
although I have no official standing the in the matter, I do 
know many things that might be of service to you in shaping 
your plans, and for purely personal reasons should very much 
like to see you work up these Crustacea, if opportunity permits 
Yours very truly. 
