(OOFY) 
January 9, 1920. 
Dr. Roberto Dabbene, 
President, Ornithological Society of La Plata, 
Rational lauseum of Natural History, 
Buenos Aires, Argentina. 
Dear Sir: 
As you know, various species of North American hirds, especially among the 
waders, on the approach of our winter migrate to Argentina. A treaty for the 
protection of migratory birds which pass between the United States and Canada 
has been made with Great Britain, and our Congress has passed laws putting the 
treaty in force. This Bureau has been given the administration of this law for 
the protection of our migratory birds. Wide public interest has been manifested 
in this law and its enforcement and numerous suggestions have been made as to 
the advisability of securing treaties with countries south of tne united States 
which are visited by our migratory birds, for their further protection. 
While we have a certain amount of information concerning the southward 
migration of many of Our species, at the same time we lack first-hand knowledge 
as to the conditions under which our species exist during their sojourn in the 
far south, and especially as to tne situation in a country like Argentina which 
is making such notable agricultural development. It therefore appeared to me 
to be extremely desirable that a representative of this Bureau visit Argentina 
for the purpose of getting in touch with the local ornithologists to obtain as 
much information from that source as possible and to visit various parts of your 
country in order to secure first-hand knowledge of the conditions which surround 
our migratory species which visit you and to estimate the probable effect of the 
rapid settlement and development going on there. 
Should it be possible for us to send a representative to Argentina during 
the next few months, the cooperation of yourself and otner Argentine ornithologist 
would be of the utmost value and would greatly increase the value to us of 
ihe investigations such representative would make. I recognize the high char¬ 
acter of the work being done by the Argentine ornithologists and feel certain 
that they will be able to give a large amount of valuable information. I am 
sending you under separate cover a number of publications of this Bureau con¬ 
cerning the migratory bird treaty with Great Britain and tne law and regulations 
for its enforcement also our annual game law bulletin and bulletin concerning 
the protection of fur-bearing animals. I shall be much indebted to you if you 
will kindly send me a copy of tne present game laws of Argentine covering game 
animals and fur-bearing animals if lav/s have been enacted protecting them. 
I shall be glad to have a reply from you in regard to the ideas suggested above. 
With high consideration, I remain 
Very truly yours, 
(signed) E.W. Nelson, 
Chief of Bureau. 
