THE ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY 
N L W YORK, N . Y. 10021 
February 4, 1975 
Dr. Fenner A. Chace 
Department of Invertebrate Zoology 
U. S. National Museum 
Washington D.C. 20025 
Dear Fenner: 
I am writing at Jocelyn’s suggestion to see whether you can help 
us learn more about the details of some observations on fiddler crabs 
apparently made during the 1960 Smithsonian- Bred in expedition. Our 
only information comes from a popular article on mangroves published 
in the Esturine Bulletin of the University of Delaware, (2), June 
1960.'*^ This article is written by Franklin C. Daiber and along with 
a number of other topics it mentions that this expedition visited 
Ascension Bay and found fiddler crabs numerous. 
We have visited this part of Qu^ntina Roo and have indeed made 
arrangements to share in a sort of cooperative motel development in 
a very pleasant area there. In the immediate vicinity Uca is present 
but not common, and when we are back there next summer we will look 
for truly suitable habitats. This place is near the northern end of 
ah extensive series of inlets and lagoons connecting eventually to 
Ascension Bay. It is near a very small inlet called Boca Paila. 
It may x^7ell be that no one is still around who would have any 
specific recollections as to just xAere the group x^/ent in Ascension Bay 
or its vicinity, still less where they saxv which species of Uca . 
Toward the end of the article it mentions Mr. and Mrs. J. Bruce Bredin 
of Wilmington, Waldo L. Schmitt who apparently collected Crustacea, and 
J. F. Gates Clark and Harold R. Rehder of the Smithsonian who collected 
insects and molluscs respectively. 
Please do not put yourself to any great trouble or spend any 
substantial amount of time on this matter. But if you knox>7 whether 
any of these people or anyone else who may have been on that expedition 
is available, x^/e X’7ill make inquiries directly. Nor is there any hurry 
about this. We x>;ill not be able to return until June and simply x^zant to 
take advantage of whatever information might be available before starting 
out to search on our own. 
Jocelyn’s book is making its leisurely x/ay through the lengthy process 
of production by the Princeton University Press, and despite moments of 
discouragement v/e really do expect it finally to see the light of day 
sometime in 1975 — at least I do! 
j V j'A V 
i 
With very best v/ishes. 
; 
Donald R. Griffin 
DRG/rb 
