Van Straelen, V. 
Filed: Belgian Congo 
February 23, 1 955 
Dr. V. Van Straelen 
President de 1 ' Institut des 
Parcs Nationaux du Congo Beige 
c/o IRS AC, 1:2, rue Montoyer 
Bruxelles, Belgium 
AIR MIL 
Dear Dr. Van Straelen: 
I thank you for your most encouraging letters of January 27 and 
February 1, which I found awaiting my return from California. 
Tour helpful suggestions regarding permits for collecting and 
firearms , collecting pistols , and the matter of lava samples will be 
acted upon. I particularly appreciate the Guide Book and the hotel 
list. Of the former I have ordered two copies of the English edition 
for members of our party. The handsome volume dealing with the pro- 
tected animals is also very welcome. It will be interesting to see 
and to photograph the larger Congo animal life as we get the oppor- 
tunity, which I hope will be often. But our collecting , as mentioned 
earlier, will be confined wholly to the smaller forms of animal life, 
principally mites, ticks, their host plants and animals , Crustacea of 
all kinds, other arthropods , mollusks, and fish as these may come to 
hand at the crustacean fisheries that we shall visit. 
Barring accidents we hope to arrive in Leopoldville about April 
9th and fly to Stanleyville on the 17th. From there the rest of the 
trip will be by auto so that we can be close enough to the ground to 
get out and collect and photograph. The only trouble with flying is 
the transport of collecting gear. This will not be so heavy but it 
is bulky. Host of it and the photographic equipment , movie camera, 
tripods , and so forth, we shall try to ship over in advance . 
As you so well realized, we are trying perhaps to do too much in 
too little time. That is why we are flying to Stanleyville, omitting 
the Katanga area entirely. Another year, I hope that we may be able 
to visit the other parts of the Congo. 
