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August 26, 1938

Lieut. H. K. Gates
U.S.S. Houston
Long Beach, California

Dear Mr. Gates:

The joke's on me all right! When and where did you find the snake? I take it the day before it reached here and under one of the desks in the flag office. Did it create any excitement when discovered? Well, we live to learn, and you are a better man than I am!

If I ever get another chance--and I sincerely hope that I will have the opportunity of travelling with you folks again--I am going to bring along a small game-getter and dust shot for picking up a lot of lizards and snakes. With you^[[r]] good eyes, perhaps you will let us make a reptile hunter out of you. Fortunately, one of the men got a single small lizard[[strikethrough]] s [[/strikethrough]] on Clipperton, for the first thing that my immediate boss asked me was, "Did you get any lizards on Clipperton?" It is too bad we didn't get a couple of dozen. 

The snake was alive and kicking when it reached here, and I am as happy as the Zoo crowd to have it, for it makes three snakes from as many islands in the Galapagos, and that is quite a lot of rare snakes from those islands for any collection, living or dead. 

My best to you.

Sincerely,

Waldo L. Schmitt, Curator,
Division of Marine Invertebrates.

WLS:LMc