2 
My Kinabalu orchid list includes over one hundred species 
collected by Clemens that arc now and distinct. This will give 
you some idea of what to expect in the way of exchange when I 
send you the set of duplicates that has been reserved for you. 
I also have a large number of Philippine oohids ready. Although 
these include species that you already have, many of them are 
duplicates of collections that were limited to a fev specimens 
and represent extended distribution, jhctenaion of range is of 
very great importance in herbaria of Philippine species. This 
I know you realize as fully as I do. 
X am wriring to-day to Dr* Dieia asking him to send to me 
in part exchange some specimens of economic plants fur ay 
class-room herbarium. I have to teach the botany of tropical 
medicine as well as economic botanaay and it la necessary to 
have material that represent the poisonous plants of the tropic^ 
that are used either intentionally or accidentally with carious 
consequences. There are a number of drug plants, too, that I 
want to represent. Undoubtedly the Berlin Museum has duplicates 
from Africa that would give strength to my collection. If you 
cun help me in any way in this department of science I hope you 
will do so. My course in trbpioal medicine begins shortly after 
the first gf the year. 
Prof, Merrill has been spending several days with me. He 
has asked mo to send to you direct the duplicates of Philippine 
orchid:? that would normally be set abide for you. the exchanges 
for those to be sent directly to me hero for my collection. I 
will also set agios a set for the Museum, "ill you please inform 
Dr. Diels of this when you boo him uad ask him to consider the 
Philippine material I send him as exchange material for my her¬ 
barium. 
I have not yet had an opportunity to work on the Spiranthes 
specimens you sent to ms. They were more welcome than I can 
explain to you. I have also received a series of specimens from 
New Zealand that I am anxious to examine in connection with 
your remarks regarding the rosteirum. I am not yet convinced 
that we have arrived at finality with regard to the Spiranthes 
question presented by the Asiatic species. X am not yet ready to 
follow your conclusions because I hare seen ho 7/ p&z sling In¬ 
variable Spiranthes can bo even in the same field. This summer 
I worked out the variability of our common 3, cornua. I found 
that variation was in large measure du« to the number of years 
old the plants happen to beI I studied the species from the 
seedling stages through plants that ehEIMted signs of many years 
of growth. This study explained why it is that in the same 
field one can find specimens that seem to represent we&l marked 
varieties. I worked on S. gracilis too and found that the same 
rule holds good with regard to that.Merrill from hia observations 
of the Philippine and Chinese plant£*hc has seen is inclined to 
adopt my views with regard to S. sinensis, I have just finished 
conscientious studies of the material in our National Herbarium, 
The Cray Herbarium and the Herbarium of the Kern York Botanical 
Carden, My assistant went over the same ground independently and 
arrived at the same conclusions that I did. 
**(Specim©ns in the field.) 
