CABLE ADDRESS - MUSEUM, CHICAGO 
Field Museum of Natural History 
ROOSEVELT ROAD AND LAKE MICHIGAN 
Chicago 
September 2, 1931 
Dear Professor Ames: 
There are enclosed some sample pages of 
the flora of Peru, showing the general style of the work. 
Please pardon their appearance. I find that sheets once 
used previously have been employed for the carbons, and I can 
not find any really clean ones in the duplicate copy. 
This style admits of some variation, and in case you 
prefer some other mode of treatment for the orchids, it can be 
accomodated. Most of Macbride's descriptions of species are 
shorter than I think they should be. The specimens are listed 
by departments, the latter arranged alphabetically. In case 
you should have difficulties with local names, we probably can 
place them easily, since we have a highly satisfactory geo¬ 
graphic dictionary of the country. 
We have the first instalment of the flora almost ready 
for the press, but probabljr it will not be submitted to the 
printer for two months. Macbride hoped to see it published 
by the end of the year, but that is scarcely possible. Our 
printing is done within the Museum, and ordinarily rather ex¬ 
peditiously. Unfortunately, just now the printing office is 
some months behind in its work. Short papers can be printed 
inside a few weeks, but longer ones require much more time. 
With regard to the flora of Central America, I hardly, 
know what to say. If I had here the Central American collect¬ 
ions that are in Washington, I should go ahead with the flora. 
But unfortunately our Central American collections are not ex¬ 
tensive enough. Since I have been here the Central American 
work has been more or less sidetracked, and I don’t know what 
the result will be. I have devoted most of my time here to 
South American plants. I have been considering the preparation 
of a flora of British Honduras, but that would be a minor un¬ 
dertaking. I have had in mind also a flora of Costa Rica, but 
that is almost as elaborate a task as a flora of all Central 
America, I really should complete the Central American flora, 
for I have the plants better in mind that perhaps any other 
person will have them soon. However, when I look now at the 
pages of the volume on the trees of Mexico, I wonder whether 
I would have the heart to undertake another piece of work of 
that extent. 
Publication upon the orchids of Central America would 
make a fine volume in itself, and it would be a simple matter, 
I think, to find a place for its publication. Of course, they 
would be glad to take care of it in' the National Museum, 
although their volumes are certainly no works of art. It is 
quite possible that it would be printed here, too. I hope 
that you will prepare it. 
Since 
ADDRESS ALL CORRESPONDENCE, PUBLICATIONS AND PACKAGES 
TO FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, CHICAGO, U. S. A. 
