ing peat in wliioh to pack my Cocos Island palm seeds, I called on 
Mr# Paul Allen, horticulturist in charge of the Balboa ^botanic 
garden*’* Along with the peat, he gave me several rare palm seeds of 
for the National Herbarium. 
For packing the scientific collections that I had made in 
the Galapagos Islands Captain Picking offered me the very excellent 
facilities available at Coco Solo, where I spent Apidci May 2nd and 
Srd, returning to Panama on Sunday, the 4th* As the connecting plane 
from South America was delayed, departure of the plane v«ras postponed 
until Monday afternoon, the 5th* Leaving at 2 p.m* , Yre arrived at 
I'liami that night at 9 p.m. Here my Rooseveltia palm seeds were taken 
over by the plant quarantine inspector* I therefore went down to the 
Miami office the next morning to make arrangements for the shipment 
of these unique seeds to V/ashington. This matter was very kindly 
taken care of by Mr. Gist, who happened to be the inspector who came 
to Pensacola in 1938 to pass the plant collections I brought back with 
me from the Presidential Cruise of that year. Bill Merrill asked 
especially to be remembered to you. 
During the few hours remaining before departure of the 
Washington plane at 2 p.m., I called on Captain John W. Mills, of 
the Carnegie Institution’s Tortugas Laboratory, now retired, to con- 
sult with him regarding available motor boats, particularly those on 
kscslR sale by the Carnegie Institution, as they have in actual per- 
fomance proven eminently suitable for a laboratory such as it is 
proposed to establish in the Galapagos Islands. 
arrived in Washington at 8:40 p.m. on May 6th and I 
reported for duty at the National Museum at 9 o’clock the next morn- 
ing. 
Recommendations regarding the proposed laboratory and other 
facilities are being prepared for your attention, as well as a draft 
of the agreement covering the cooperative scientific studies to be 
entered into by the United Spates and Ecuador. 
