SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 
UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 
WASHINGTON. D. C. 20560 
18 September 1965 
Dear Jant 
I'll tiy to answer some of your letters concerning specimens* 
^ou list the following McBee cards with data but no specimens in DCs 
Kures 20378} 20091} 20150} 20172} 20173} 20390. 
Marshall/Gilbertss 30075} 30302} 3030is} 30386} 301*23} 30321. 
At seas 0810} 0856} 01*1*5; 01*96} 0633. 
Of the above, only No. 30321, Godwit - Gilbert/Marshalls is here. 
The GilbertAlarshall birds were reported missing 15 July and apparently 
never found. You might check the McBee card file and see if ary of the 
at sea birds were discarded. Concenning the specimens as a whole I 
can offer only three suggestionss 
1) check the above cards against existing cards in the specimen file 
under all possible headings (skeletons, alcoholics, discards, etc.) and 
be sure that the ones you have are not duplicates} 
2) check all specimens in our collection of each species in question to 
be sure the cards or birds have not been misplaced} 
3) as a last resort file these cards in a separate section for problem 
specimens and hope that the problems gradually resolve themselves as 
specimens turn up here and there. You might make a recheck of all 
available freezers including the F & ¥ one. 
We have no data here for numbers 25006, 0950 and 20182. This data 
will have to be eventually gotten from the catalogues. 20182 sho\ild be 
in Kure catalogue ^o. 1} 095 should be in the at sea catalogue which will 
not be available txntil after 5 November} 25006 should be in the Sand 
catalogue which is not now available. 
We have no Alaskan birds and never have had ary out here. Tqu might 
check these problems with Max Thompson when he returns from ^laska later 
this year. 
I'm returning the following cards* 
1319 - wasn't this skeleton received in Washington? or is this card a duplicate? 
________ - Stadel 291. this can be obtained from the SIC 8 catalogue or from 
Stadel's original catalogue (Ask Fred to help), 
1325 « no longer here. Was this perhaps a skeleton shipped with 1319? 
052 - Check with Pat - a bird this old must be in DC - perhaps loaned out? 
