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2 - 
Throughout our Til ty days in the Congo, we had remarkably auspicious 
weather, very little rain during daylight hours, and none that seriously 
discommoded us. Likewise, the temperatures, though high at times in the 
loser reaches of the Gongo, at no time were as oppressive as those we 
suffered here in Washington, D. C. , the latter part of July and in early 
August, -the humidity here has been high, 50-60 and indeed 95 according to 
radio broadcasts. When we were in Leopoldville the humidity must have 
been fairly low for we were quite comfortable. The night® were especially 
balmy and as I have since remarked many times, if we could package and 
market those balmy Belgian Congo nights here in our hot summer time we 
would make a fortune. 
April 8 through 16 were spent in and about Leopoldville, but aside 
from plant mites we did not get much in the way of invertebrate animal 
life. The mites are going to prove, scientific mainstay of the expe- 
dition. Dr, Baker experts to reveal some remarkable results in the near 
future. The tropical plant, mites .in Africa are virtually unknown and so 
will undoubtedly yield 4s a host of new records, if not new species. We 
flew to Stanleyville on I the l?th and stayed there until the 26th of April, 
Most of this interval was spent in and about the Wagenia fisheries where 
much is yet to be done. Has anyone ever written a rather complete account 
of the natives, their operations and catch? To all appearances that 
fishery conducted today as it was ages before the white man ever came 
to Africa. All materials used in the traps and weirs are gathered in the 
juries and forests across the river. Even the «ax n used to point the 
wooden piling looked primitive enough to have been of antique native 
manufacture. 
April 26 we took to our auto, the four of us and chauffeur guide, 
followed by a truck with our equipment and photo-supplies, and reserve 
gasoline, -two drums of it. Collecting was attempted in various streams 
as we moved from place to place but the natives all tried to tell us the 
water was still too high and swift for successful shrimp fishing and that 
the dry season was the better time for it. One thing that held us back 
was the fear of schistosomaisis (biharziasis) . Has the Government ever 
published a more or less detailed map of the distribution of this disease, 
or rather parasite, in the Belgian Congo? At the Xangambi INEAC we were 
told the river and water courses were free of it. True that presence or 
absence of snails is indicative but how can one be certain that the snails 
may not have been overlooked. 
At Paulis April 27-28, we witnessed and photographed (as does everyone 
else) the Mangbetu dance put on for tourists. He spent the night before 
Paulis at Nia Nia and the night after at Niangara. 
On the 29th of April we arrived at Gangal a-na-Bodio where your letter 
had preceded us. It was a most interesting place, but nothing to compare 
with the Garsmba park and the hospitable reception given us by your Park 
superintendent, Marc MischA. After seeing the several large parks ( except 
