UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
BUREAU OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY 
WASHINGTON, D. C. 
ADDRESS REPLY TO 
CHIEF, BUREAU OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY, 
AND REFER TO 
March 31, 1921. 
Dr. Alexander Wetmore, * . . 
c/o Consul-General of the United States, 
Calle Lavalle 341, 
Buenos Aires, Argentina. 
Dear Dr. Wetmore: 
Your letters of February 4 and 24 were received 
about the same time, announcing your return to Buenos 
Aires. These letters as usual contain much of interest 
concerning conditions in the isolated parts of the 
countries you are visiting. 
I am glad to note that you continue to make obser¬ 
vations on our migratory waterfowl, although these evident¬ 
ly do not occur in the numbers we had supposed. I note 
your capture of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo, which you state 
appears to be our subspecies of the eastern United States. 
Your observations concerning native species will be 
of interest and value in connection with a consideration 
of conditions affecting our migratory birds. The discovery 
at Laguna Castillos that a number of native species are 
affected by alkali poisoning exactly as are our ducks at 
Great Salt Lake is of especial importance. 
It Is surprising to learn that small mammals appear 
to be so scarce. I supposed that you would find many of 
them fairly abundant. 
The suspicion of strangers to which you refer reminds 
me of some of our experiences in Mexico and Central American 
countries, and I sympathize with your contention that Latin 
American republics should remunerate traveling naturalists 
for furnishing free amusement and mental exercise to the pub¬ 
lic rather than hindering their work by being slow in granting 
needed letters and other assistance. 
