= rs 
year's money. I would like to have some figures from you so that I can 
figure out how to commit my money for next July. Frankly, I had 
anticipated using most of it for your shipment. I thought that perhaps the 
extra bongo that we requested would be able to defray some of your unusual 
expenses on the bongo that you have had. 
As you notice, I have not mentioned the naked mole rat, as this is the 
animal that I want to go up to the Northwest Frontier myself and while not 
necessarily catch | would certainly like to go up there and act as though I 
were catching it, just because I want to see the Northwest Frontier. 
As you can imagine, I have been under considerable pressure from the 
faction at the National Geographic that is in Alan Root's camp. I stoutly 
maintain that the National Zoological Park has all faith and trust in the 
Seago operation, and furthermore that we had been told to conduct this 
study in our own manner. The grant was made knowing full well that we 
were going to use Seago's rather than Root’s. However, as you can also 
understand, the Geographic is bent on getting a story and they are not 
particularly concerned about either you or me, or for that matter, the 
bongos. The story is the thing. The pictures are even more important 
than the story. | | 
Rumor has it that Frankfurt and Basel are going to be getting some bongo 
from Alan Root. I wish them every luck in the world. Rumor also has it 
that Alan has just caught a male bongo which would complete the trio for 
Milwaukee. I most certainly hope that this is true because George, like 
myself, has been waiting a long time for these animals. 
It must be very disheartening for some of the boys up in the mountains to 
turn loose the buffalo and warthogs and all the other good meat, but I know 
that you gentlemen will do what the law of the land requires, even in 
relation to your fishing. 
Elizabeth joins me in wishing you the very best. I guess I told you that 
Mary Alyce, our daughter, has been accepted into Carnegie Mellon 
University in the art department. Mark, the son and heir of the family, 
has gotten a job this summer in Yellowstone National Park. I hope that 
it is either cleaning out latrines or on the garbage detail, to make him 
appreciate that sometimes one has to work in paradise as well as enjoy 
it. lam sure that he will come out of the summer dead broke, with @ 
great sun tan, and probably half a dozen girl friends, and not more than 
half a dozen bear scratches. | 
I find that I continually refer back to my experiences in Africa. Just the 
other morning Mary Alyce got me up at six o'clock, wanting to go | 
canoeing on the Canal. If you remember, Bill Mann took you up -- I 
believe I was with you -~ to Great Falls, Maryland, some 20 miles 
above the city here. The stretch of river above this is very peaceful © 
and calm and we were canoeing on this, and I kept telling Mary Alyce, 
“Now, this is the way it is in Africa: the beautiful bird calls, the eeric 
light coming over the trees." It seems as though all my concepts of 
beauty, tranquility and loveliness relate to the Aberdare Mountains or 
Voe or Kikaroc. This is ridiculous because I know that there are 
