September 30, 1938 
Dear Mr. Presidantt 
Tour mention of the possibility that you sight visit the Venezuelan 
coast rucl the adjacent islands Is certainly intriguing, fro® the northern 
coast of South America to Panama we have bat scattered and meager collections, 
and so fur as representation in the Museum is concerned, it is still largely 
a terra Incognita . 
In birds almost everything west of Margarita Island including the 
Dutch feet Indies would be wall worth collecting; especially sparrows and 
orioles from Curacao md Aruba. 
Of land snaw&aln, reptiles and amphibians , the Museum would ap- 
preciate any and all specimens that could conveniently be obtained . At best 
w© have very few of the indigenous mammals other than bats and not many of 
these. Margarita, Curasao, Aruba and the • eatigos Islands are type localities 
for several, very little know species. On Margarita there is a small “pocket- 
deer** formerly very plentiful, which was hunted for its flesh which the natives 
dried. A few of these alive would make an attractive zoological park exhibit; 
and still others , if obtainable, are desired as study specimens , There's 
else A re tbit, squirrel &n& rat-opposau® to be found on this island. The 
Museum has no specimen of either the deer or squirrel, only one of the cotton- 
tail and only two of the rat-appossu®. The western drier and of the island 
is said to have been little explored. 
Of marine mammals, porpoises are such -canted for study. They 
should b© frequently mat with along the eo&vt and about the islands. Though 
not the easiest specimens to secure or prepare for Museum study, it would be 
a rather unique proceeding to bring some home frozen. Porpoises * re poorly 
represented in all Museums because of the difficulties attendant upon their 
capture and preservation. 
Anent fishing, there should, be some grand sport down there and a 
lot of interesting reef and tide-pool fishes. A Mr. T. a. Boeckmann of 
Caracas , interested in the commercial fisheries of Venezuela, told rse not sasmy 
months ago that tarpon are so plentiful that they make caviar out of their 
eggs. It is estimated that a 142 lb. female mmy have as many as twelve million 
eggs l I shall cfeeually drop Boeckmann a lino making about the more favored 
fishing grounds. The dolphin is .an important food fish in Curasao, also the 
painted mackerel, and, there must be goat fish, grunts, snappers and sea basses 
galore . 
