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I hope that you will appreciate that in the above very frank advice
I am only trying to be of service to you. Now, to another, perhaps more
pleasant subject.

I am preparing a second edition of my book "Plant Hunters in the Andes."
It originally appeared in 1941 and a very bad Spanish translation was
published in Buenos Aires some years later as "Cazadores de Plantas en los
Andes." There was, also, a reprint published in London in 1950. Perhaps
you have seen the Spanish translation; if not, I think you could find
it in a Lima library.

During the various periods when you collected for me you wrote me letters
containing some interesting accounts of your experiences. Unfortunately,
I cannot, at the moment, find all these letters.

Would you be interested in writing something for me about your efforts
to get Cattleya Rex in the Moyobamba area, your collecting in Dept.
Huanuco, from Tingo Maria to Pucalpa and in other regions where you
have collected? I would use what you would write plus field notes and
other information in revising or adding to the Peruvian section of my
book.

If you have read the book you know that I combine travel experiences and
general description of places and people with botanical information so
that the tourist gets a picture of an area and the botanist gets material
of value to him concerning its vegetation. That would be the type of
thing that perhaps you could write for me -- colorful descriptions of
life in the montana; for example, I remember that you once wrote about
hearing at night the screaming of the pit vipers. I might want to quote
from you verbatim giving full credit for the "quotes."

I will, of course, pay you for your cooperation. However, I do not want
you to give up any work for which you are now being paid in order to do
some writing for me. I want you to do it in your spare time. I doubt
whether I can give you more than $150 total because whatever I pay will
be at my personal cost with no chance of reimbursement. I could send
you $50 in advance if that would be important to you.

Let me know your reaction to my proposal. If it is favorable send me a
few pages of the sort of thing you could write so that I could give you
suggestions, if necessary.

With all good wishes,

Cordially,

THG:T