Comayagua, 
Honduras. 
March Fourth 1933. 
My dear Mr.Ames: 
In reply to yours of Fet>.22ed. receiyed to-day; 
You say that on Feb.21st. you received a box 
postmarked (From where?) Feh.3rd. containing two seed capsuels of 
a Cycnoches. That Pox was mailed at Siguatepeque Hot. 10,1932. It 
must have been held In the Office there or at Tegucigalpa from Hoy. 
10 1932 to Feb.3rd.1933. _It was about Feb.3rd. that the Post Office 
in Siguatepeque was moyed^o a new building and it may be that the 
box was found at that time and forwarded. 
As to the shipment made on Jan.9th.; part of which 
you say has not been received. I shall have to report the shortage 
of the two packages of Orchid specimens and try to have them traced. 
I am very much destressed over this shortage as there were some very- 
fine and new varieties in this package, 4—I have one duplicate 
each of a few of the specimens packed in Package fo.Two Eos.315 to 
326 but not of all. I always try to have at least one duplicate 
specimen for myself but sometimes there are not enough collected to 
feeen one out of the shipment. I do not have any of them in Alconol. 
Neither do I have duplicates of the Woody Plant Specimens. These 
I don’t keep. However the duplicated, I have are at Minas de Oro with 
surplus material. If you do not later receive the missing package 
of Orchids and want I shall gladly send what I have. 
You say that you have budgeted $3,600.00 for work 
in Honduras but do not say th&t I am to get another contract. In 
fact as you go to say that you do not feel that I have earned the 
mdmey that has been paid to me during the life of the present 
contract I am enclined to infere that the work will be given to 
some other collector. Also here is another fact that would seem 
to bear me out in this inference. I told you in my letter of Jan. 
Eighth that if you would renew my contract for $3600.00 and would 
advance me $4oo/oo I would buy a truck for my use in collecting. 
In you letter of Jan.20 you state that if the contract is given me 
that you will advance the $400.00. Yet you say nothing about this 
in the letter just received. As I shall not be g,^le to^get a reply 
to this letter before April the First I shall ^collecting as if the 
contract were renewed and then if you write me that it was not 
I shall desnose of the specimens collected ## ,aiter April First, 
to other parties. I am very sorry that you feel as you do about the 
matter but I assure you that I have given you the oest service that 
las possible. I do search for specimens but when they are not there 
I can not get them. I remind you again of two months revolution 
one month of sickness,neither of which I could avoit, greatly cut 
down production. 
I really feel that I would be able to make more money 
were I to collect for several institutions and individuals rather 
than to contract with one institution. Then 1 should be able to 
collect and sell specimens in many departments of Natural History. 
Many want bird and small animal skins. Others want Insects, 
fishes,live Orchid plants,ferns,mosses,woody plants,and minerals. 
Several Zoos want live birds and animals.Arcaeologists want pre- 
historic Indian relacs. All these I can supply but to all enquiries 
