SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 
UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 
WASHINGTON. D. C. 20560 
DROPPINGS FROM THE EAGLE'S ROOST 
September 12, 1966 
Things seem rather slowed down this week over the week before when we 
had had letters and telephone calls and other sources of news - not much to 
gossip about today'. 
Max telephoned from Seattle to say that he was going to take a week in 
Kansas en route Washington. Dick Crossin is to join him there and we think 
that Bob DeLong is going along for the ride also - let's hope that Max 
doesn't take them all up in a plane at one time'. 
We were overwhelmed to find out that Ken Balcomb's collision with the 
pig in Samoa (previously unreported to Washington and therefore not commented 
upon before) had produced such a festered elbow that the Army doesn't want 
him for at least thirty days. We don't like to let good men down so we sent 
for him (we make it a practice of taking the Army rejects'.) and he's work¬ 
ing away on intermediate sheets (i think) with Pat Gould. We're in the highly 
unusual position of having to have all desks in use next week - we're 
expecting to have Amerson, Balcomb, King, Gould, Clapp, Thompson, Crossin 
and DeLong all here at once. Mother is out of her mind to be leaving at 
this juicy time but she's getting out to Kent Point to band birds for two 
and a half weeks - she got a Broad-winged Hawk last week and hasn't been 
fit to talk to since I 
We gather that the AOU meeting was a mixed success. The latest report 
- well, let's start at the beginning and say that Warren King's abstract 
for his paper was never received and he was not put on the program. This was 
not discovered until he returned from his summer of canoeing ( with the most 
luxuriant beard we've yet had possibly excepting George Wislocki's a couple 
of years back) as we didn't realize here that he had not received a letter 
of acceptance. We called the program man who put him on - and then when 
things were running late he was taken off. We gather that then the entire 
contingent of Pacific Project men left the hall'. At some later date Warren's 
paper was put back onto the program but by then he wasn't able to read it 
himself because he had plane reservations back to Washington. Cam Kepler 
was to have read it and we presume that he did but will have to wait to 
hear from some good soul (Crossin ?) returning at a later date. We think 
that it was finally given'. Warren took it all with good grace - and then 
shaved his beard. 
We have heard that the Shearwater got off late because the Second Mate, 
Tony, broke his leg. They flew a replacement in for him and then just 
before sailing time one of the crew decided that for personal reasons he 
couldn't go - he was replaced quite quickly, however. We can't figure out 
why these men don't realize that we have to keep dates with the moon and 
that we just can't have all these delays'. 
Dr. Pyle flies in for a week this afternoon - meetings tomorrow, etc. 
I don't think we have anyone else scheduled to come - if so, sorry to have 
neglected you. Can think of no more news so we'll have just a one-pager today. 
