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THE AMES BOTANICAL LABORATORY 
NORTH EASTON,MASS. 
June 17th, 1907 
Dear Mr* Deane: 
We are giving a course in Nature Study at Harvard 
this summer; that is, the Department of Education is offering 
such a course. It is planned for teachers in the grades be¬ 
low the high school who have to direct the eyes of children 
toward plants, animals, minerals, etc. Evidently such a 
course, if properly given, is a most useful one, and I suppose 
that the undertaking will elicit your interest. I write to 
you to see if you can help in the way of stuffed specimens of 
birds. Professor Dudley of Wisconsin, who is to have half of 
the course, has sent me a list of the species that he would 
like. Do you know of anyone interested in this sort of thing 
from whom the specimens in the enclosed list (in whole or in 
part) could be borrowed for three weeks? The course is offered 
by the Department of Education and this department would be the 
borrov/er• In case you can give me information that will lead 
to a loan I shall have to carry the matter first to Professor 
Hanus, so that this is only a letter of inquiry. I feel that 
the effort to improve Nature Study teaching in the schools is 
a most worthy one and I have found that everybody with whom I 
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have talked the plans over so regards it, and of course I write 
to you with special confidence. I hope that you may know of 
somebody who has duplicate specimens(they do not need" to be 
particularly fine ones) which can be borrowed for the period 
betv/een July 23 and August 12th. 
Mr* Walter Deane- 
Cordially yours, 
