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December 31, 19 % 
Dr. ¥. ¥ an Straelen 
President de 1 ' Inst it ut des 
Parcs if&tioneux 4 b Congo Beige 
c/o IRSAC » 42, rye Montoyer 
Iraxelles, Belgium 
AIE MAIL 
Dear Dr. ?an otraelem 
I hope you haven't for got ten me or our last lunch in jay office together- 
wit a Dr. Got nr from Egypt. 
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I have urgent need of your advice regarding a trip to your failed Belgian 
Congo that I shall nave the opportunity of making this next April and May. 
As planned, m nape to see something of the country and, so far as permitted, 
sake collections of some of its terrestrial and acquatic Invertebrates, with 
soae of the ..oat plants and animals upon which some of thee live. A photographic 
record , mostly on movie fils, is to be kept of oar travels and collecting 
operations. Regrettably we shall not be able to devote wore than 45 days to 
the Belgian Congo, which rather limits our time for collecting, particularly 
if we expect to get any photographing done. 
A good friend of mine, Mr. 3ruee Bredis, of Greenville, Delaware, will 
sponsor the expedition and accompany it with his wife who, . however, way stay 
witn us only a few weeks. '■%*. f*edin has given me the privilege cf inviting 
two ©trier companions , Dr. Roy t. Sexton, a Washington physician, who is also 
an expert amateur photograpi er, and Bar. Georg© M. Wharton, Jr , , Chaintan of 
the Department of Zoology at the University of Maryland and a recognised 
authority on the Aearina. Dr. Wharton's chief interest is sites and especially 
trios© affecting native and economic crop plants, although ne also hopes to 
collect related ectoparasites from small Haemal s , using live-traps, and bats, 
and birds, if taking them will be permitted. The host animals and plants are 
to oe preserved for purposes of identification and future reference. 
Ho specimens of the larger or game animals or birds arc wanted, alt hough 
it, Sexton ropes that we may be fortunate enough to get seme good photographs 
or movies of some ot the®. He would also like to photograph native tribal 
dances, if he gets the chance , and one of the famed canoe races, or Shooting 
of the rapids in large canoes; also pictures of the native fisheries, which I 
wlsn to visit for scrimp and small fish. As time permits, I shall endeavor to 
collect other Crustacea, crabs, amphipods, isopods, and so forth, as well as 
mollusks. ever in the ©astern Congo, our geologist, Dr. Foshag, has asked us 
to get him some samples of dated lava flows , if possible. 
