THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY 
CENTRAL PARK WEST AT 79TH STREET, NEW YORK 24, NEW YORK 
DEPARTMENT OF ORNITHOLOGY 
Dean Amadon, Ph.D., Sc.D. f Lamont Curator of Birds, Chairman 
B. Thomas Gilliard, Sc.D. 
Associate Curator 
Paul Slud, Ph.D. 
Research Fellow 
Crawford H. Greenewalt, Sc.D. 
Research Associate 
Wesley E. Lanyon, Ph.D. 
Assistant Curator 
Charles E. O'Brien 
Assistant Curator 
Charles Vaurie, D.D.S. 
Assistant Curator 
William George, Ph.D. 
Chapman Fellow 
Robert Cushman Murphy, Sc.D. 
Dr. Hon. Causa, Lamont Curator Emeritus of 
Oceanic Birds 
James P. Chapin, Ph.D. 
Associate Curator Emeritus of African Birds 
Jean Delacour, Lie. Sci. 
Research Associate 
Eugene Eisenmann, LL.B. 
Research Associate 
Ernst Mayr, Ph.D. 
Research Associate in Old World Birds 
Charles K. Nichols 
Research Associate and Honorary Librarian 
John Kieran, Sc.D. 
Field Associate 
G. Stuart Keith, M.A. (Oxon) 
Associate 
26 March, 1963 
Dear Moynihan: 
Welcome to Peru. Maria has told me of your objectives; 
and if it were possible I would have enjoyed being on hand 
to discuss them with you and to offer you whatever aid and 
encouragement that I might. By the time you receive this 
letter I'll probably hawe arrived in southern Peru, from 
which I hope to return to Lima within about ten days before 
completing^ arrangements to go to several points in the 
Department of Junin. 
It is my impression that you have selected an inhospitable 
time of the year for your studies. Hot that the situation is 
hopeless. At the present time, however, both weather conditions 
and the political weather are unfavorable in the Sierra, or 
so at least my recent experiences at Chachanoyas , Machu Picchu 
and Maraynioc have led me to believe. All of these places 
are remote. I can tell you a little about each of them. 
Chachapoyas. There are two raods to this city, one 
going to it from Cajamarca, the other going to it from the 
north, via Olmos and across the Rio Maranon. The former 
road is now absolutely impassible (it is a new road, its 
surface still so soft that the slightest rain modifies it 
and quickly churns it into a quagmire*). When I was in 
Chachapoyas during the third week of February, not even 
the most intrepid great trucks could use this road. The 
other road is much better; but when the true dense rainfall 
of the rainy season arrives, it too becomes impassible. It 
was still good when I was there but the heavy rains had 
just started. Perhaps it is still all right; but it would 
be best to fly to Chachaooyas . Fawcett Airlines, according 
to my information, flys into there on Wednesdays and Saturadays, 
in DC-3's; rate is about $52.00 US, roundtrip. (Fawcett 
reservation office is in the building of the Bolivar Hotel 
and faces onto the Pla z a de San Martin). As for the Humid Temp. 
Zone of Chachapoyas, it is difficult to reach from the town; 
much logging of it has occurred (the "woods' 1 at Maraynioc 
