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In particular there would be returned to the Museum, just that material which Dr. Mary J. Rathbun needs and desires to properly round out and complete her series of comprehensive monographs on American crabs. She has just completed the second of a projected series of five bulletins on these forms, and is in some directions rather seriously handicapped for want of sufficient South American material. This would be an opportune time to secure this material for her, being right in line with the studies I am desirous of undertaking, and their value would be more than doubled if undertaken while Miss Rathbun's monographs are still in the making.

(5). [[underlined]]Plan.[[underlined]]-To spend two periods of about six months each, making the necessary field studies and collections, one in each of the two years allowed under a grant of the scholarship, with an intervening, and a final period each also of about six months to be spent in laboratory study in order to permit the best and proper working up of the notes and materials upon which the results of proposed research will be based. 

A detailed itinerary of the field work obviously can not be presented; in general it is planned to cover the entire coast of South America in both field trips, or half the distance in each, as the exigencies of the first field period would determine. As many stops would be made of sufficient duration to permit thorough acquaintace with the crustaceans and associated fauna at any one place of sojourn. These stops would be largely governed by transportation from place to place, the feasibility of working any given locality, and the faunal and geographic area represented by it. In view of funds available under the terms of the scholarship, field work might be limited to five months or extended to as much as seven, but this cannot be arbitrarily determined beforehand.

However, an average of about six months spent in the field would seem to be the most practicable arrangement; at least a corresponding amount of time would be required to work up the notes and results so obtained the dependence of ecological and distributional studies upon a correct systematic background is too obvious to mention. The laboratory studies vitally necessary to the success of the above outlined faunal problem would have to be conducted in a properly equipped laboratory, whre both the necessary literature, and extensive study collections areavailable. This would, without question, mean conducting these laboratory studies at the United States National Museum. 

(6).[[underlined]]Cost.[[underlined]]-The funds available in a large measure have necessitated the above plan, which however, from the other considerations mentioned above is probably the one most conducive to the working out of the problem to be solved.

These funds, "about $2,500," in any one year would only permit five to seven months field work, including traveling, living and incidental expenses, equipment, etc. This estimate is based in part on one given me by Dr. J.N. Rose, who has undertaken several expeditions to South America under the auspices of the Carnegie Institution, and upon the advice of such experienced South American travellers as Dr. Alex. Wetmore of the Biological Survey, Mr. Lyster H. Dewey of the Bureau of Plant Industry, and my brother H. R. Schmitt, for three years South American observer for the Carnegie Institution Department of Terrestrial Magnetism.
 
It is assumed that I would be granted official leave, (with pay) from my official duties here at the Museum. In view of the complete utilization of the funds of the scholarship for the field studies, I would need at least two thirds of my salary at the time, for the support of my family during the tenure of the scholarshipm, and myself during the laboratory periods between field trips.

If granted the scholarship, I expect to, and would agree to devote up to one third of my salary to the hiring of temporary assistance here in the Division of Marine Invertebrates to lighten the task of caring for the work of that Division whidh Miss Rathbun and Mr. Shoemaker are willing to assume in furtherance of my application.  

Transcription Notes:
jeni92127 reviewed: - For the paragraph above "Cost," the first "sentence" should be broken up by capitalizing the "T" in "The dependence of ecological...." The original document was still missing the period. - In the same paragraph, the misspelled "where" is a transcriber error and not in the original document. - There is a space after the hyphen in the "Cost" heading. - In the last sentence, the misspelled "which" is a transcriber error and not in the original document.