COPT 
October 21, 1955 
Air Mall 
CoBiatander ?. B. B. Nicholson 
P. 0. Box No. 103 
St. John's 
Antigua, B. «. I. 
Dear CoiEnander Nicholsons 
Mr. Bredin of Vfilsaij'jgtdn, Delaware, wrote you on October 17, 
asking that you tentatively reserve your yacht, FR'EKLANCE for an 
approxisistely 5 1/2 week period from about March 9 tlirough 
April 15 for hlTBself, a guest , and a party of Is Steithsonian 
scientists. Our plans call for collectimt speciisens of insect and 
plant life on the Islands visited and the various foms of raarine life 
encountered at sea, and about the various anchorages. The scientific 
group would consist of myself and a colleague for tlie marine forms of 
life and an entomologist and a botanist for insects and plants ashore. 
Perhaps the first and most important question is to what extent 
we may indulge in these activitl-es fresn and aboard your vessel. 
Collecting along shore, under rocks in shallow water, and over coral 
reefs (at low tide) is a wet but net, too messy a job. Scans of us 
would frequently be ceasing aboard wet to the waist ot* even to tiie 
neck with buckets of speclffiens and some muck. Howex'er, any bjoss that 
we might make could be hosed down very a,asily and the deck, if at all 
'“delicate” could be covered with a piece of c-inva^; ovsur the area 
where we might sort out our gathfired natnriala into bottles. 
We may have occasion to use a galvcnined iron ^m^>h tub or two, 
in which to crack open coral for its contained animal life, and for 
rinsing specimens. W® shstll have with us considerable impediaienta 
used in connection with our collecting forays, a 5o ft. seine, a small 
copper dredge or two, and several tanks in neat wooden chests for 
preserving larger specimens and a few doaen quart jars and a supply 
of small idals. tie also vrauld like to make use of a ft>w lobster pots 
or fish traps at our overnight anchorages but these; could be set from 
the launch. 
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