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[[preprinted]]
WM. H. CROCKER,
President Board of Trustees
SUSIE M. PEERS,
Secretary Board of Trustees

F. M. MAC FARLAND,
President of the Academy and Acting Director of the Museum and of the Steinhart Aquarium

CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
GOLDEN GATE PARK
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

TELEPHONE BAYVIEW 5100
[[/preprinted]]

November 5, 1935

Mr. Waldo L. Schmitt,
Smithsonian Institution,
Washington, D.C.

Dear Mr Schmitt:

Yours of October 31 at hand. Glad to get the items you checked up on explained. I am still surprised that " fresh water tortoise" is given for Galapago and that Darwin had not heard of Porter's activities seeing he was so vitally interested in the Galapagos. However, news no doubt traveled slowly in those days and Porter's account of his voyage might not have reached England by that time.

I can't imagine why the National Geographic should have turned down your article. Of course, I am not enthused over the articles in the detective magazines and think a better class magazine should be approached. However, I thought, seeing the National Geographic was after excellent pictures that the assortment available form Hancock should put most anything over. My point was to stress on the photographs, which to my mind are far more interesting and educational than many I have seen in the Geographic.

My Galapagos article should be out very shortly if I was not too late in getting the last batch of pictures in. The editor of National History said he wanted to put the article in the coming number and wanted the remaining pictures as soon as possible. I shipped them yesterday by special delivery and air mail. I had forwarded one shipment, but I wanted to get a good land iguana and a good sea iguana picture as the ones I sent were nothing to boast of. I got two excellent ones together with one ortwo other things I asked for, so I hope the article will get out this year.

Included in the article are a couple or three prints of scenes on the way down to the Galapagos. When on the "Oaxaca" Stone took a fine picture of the big cave on the largest of Las Tres Marietas and this was such a fine picture I thought it would go well. Also included a picture of a rooster fish just as it was being gaffed. This is an excellent picture too and gives life to the article. For an histori^[[c]]al touch there is a picture of an inscription on one of the rocks at Cocos Island. It was such an excellent print I'm sure it will