CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 
THE SCIENCE MUSEUM 
GOLDEN GATE PARK : SAN FRANCISCO l8, CALIFORNIA 
THE ALEXANDER F. MORRISON PLANETARIUM 
TELEPHONE BAYVIEW I-5IOO 
THE STEINHART AQUARIUM 
March 11, 195? 
Dr. Waldo Schmitt 
Smithsonian Institution 
U.S. National Museum 
Washington 25 > D*C. 
Dear Dr* Schmitt: 
I hasten to thank you for the vast amount of practical 
information you have sent. I was trying to keep you from 
going to so much trouble but now would hate to think of being 
without your contributions® For example* I think that it will 
be well for us to build in an auxiliary gas tank on the load 
behind the truck cab® 
I had already written to van den Berghe and van Straelen 
about my plans and both seemed to be very much interested* esp- 
escially in the educational value of the photography* I had hoped 
to get some support in the form of a Fulbright Award but to date 
only succeeded in reaching the status of an "alternate candidate" 
which seems to be regretable in view of the thousands of dollars 
I stood ready to contribute on my side cjf^he arrangement® I may 
yet gain such status but ; in the meantime^ had to assume that I wasld 
not get the grant. To get ship passage t had to make arrangements 
well in advance and thus may have to forfeit some of the advantages 
of such a grant . Our sailing is now scheduled for May 29 and the 
next available space would have been after September. 
I was aware that accomodations are very good in the Congo but 
we prefer whenever possible to stay in the^bushJ* Quite often we 
stayed only a short distance away from good hotels* missions, ete. 
in the Andes simply so that a minimum of time would be lost in 
social contacts, pleasant though they may be® We also take the 
least possible time in getting meals outjf of the way and getting 
hack to collecting and other field activities which continue far 
into the night with our lights the only ones shining for mile around. 
I suppose that there are many places in Africa where one is not safe 
afoot at night. Our plan^is to be equipped to stay in the field when- 
ever possible or safe but .use other lodgings if there is good reason 
for doing so. 
If, in your travels ; you heard any word that one is in danger of 
attack by animals while sleeping in a tent at cab-top level on a truck, 
I would find this of interest® If there is any danger, I suppose that 
this would vary from place to place. 
Again, let me thank you for your most important information. On 
our part, we will try to get freshwater Crustacea for you. We hope to 
do quite a lot of aquatic insect work and try some underwater light 
traps in various places. 
