April 8,1919, 
©Iff GDntano 
IBunhimjtmi, 0. (£. 
Dear Kill: 
Summer is here in a hurry and the air is like that of June.The forest 
trees are beginning to take on a green tinge,and most of the early flowering 
plants are in full bloom.Yesterday Mann,Howard and myself drove down the poto- 
mao Park drive where they are engaged in laving out a golf oourse whioh promi- 
I t I 
>d whioh will be ns 
ses to be a model of its kind when oompletac 
leither today nor yet 
tomorrow, rphey have planted several hiundred flowering almonds along the drive 
whioh now present a gloripus sight. 
The meeting for the purpose of launching the new Society of American Mam- 
malogiats proved a great success,and the new organisation starts off with some 
250 members with Hart as the President.There is a good deal too much of the Bi¬ 
ological Survey in the organisation but that could hardly be helped when is con¬ 
sidered all the circumstances.‘The Survey is doing almost all of the active work 
among recent mamals,and the California men who oome next are too far away for 
e« 
very active partioipafcion in the oonoerns of the Society. -J. A. wa3 not pres¬ 
ent being out of dortsBatohelder was present, and somewhat to my surprise popovsd 
very active in the organisation of the enterprise.! did not know that he had any 
speoial interest in or oare for mamals.Dwight and Niohols were here from New STork 
Stone was here and I had the pleasure of introducing him to Oram his co-author 
in his book on New Jersey Mammals-the first time the two had met,neither having 
the faintest idea of the looks of the other.A rather unique oooasion was the giv¬ 
ing of a lunoh by Hollister in the headquarters of the Zoo.After lunch the whole 
bunch to the number of thirty 
or forty was shown by Hollister through the Zoo.I 
