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Mokuleia Beach, Wailua,
Oahu, Hawaii.
Oct. 11, 1955.

My dear Dr. McVaugh:

I just received Dr. Fosberg's letter of Sept. 28 in
which he mentions that you would like more detail regarding the areas in
which I wish to botanize and the problems I wish to solve.

I have botanized in the Hawaiian Islands since 1922 and know pretty
well where endemics and often novelties are to be found. I wish to col-
lect in such areas of native vegetation avoiding, of course, ridges and
valleys where I or colleagues have botanized extensively before. In gene-
ral, the endemics still survive at higher elevations, particularly above
2,000 ft., and down to sea level along the precipitous windward coasts of
Kauai, Molokai, partly Maui and the Kohala region of the Island of Hawaii.
Such precipitous regions are cut by numerous isolated valleys still little
known and uninhabited. There is no telling what botanical surprises await
the collector, especially in our flora where extreme endemism is rampant.

For years I have looked for happy botanical hunting grounds, and have
been eminently successful in my search. Please just peruse at random
lists of exsiccatae or of cited specimens in recently monographed revi-
sions of families or genera occurring in the Hawaiian Islands. Any of
Earl E. Sherff's, like his revision of Tetraplasandra (Fieldiana: Bot.
29(2):139-140, 1955.) would do, or perhaps Yuncker's monograph of Pepe-
romia (Bishop Mus. Bull. 112:124-125, 1933.), or Fosberg's monographs of
Hedyotis or Gouldia, and Bartram's monumental study of Hawaiian mosses.
Such works show the success of my collecting in regions relatively unknown.

Mrs. Degener and I spent last month on Kauai, botanizing and surveying
the field so as to be prepared to forge ahead with our project should a
grant-in-aid materialize. Incidentally, we kept the appeal strictly con-
fidential to avoid "losing face" should it be denied. Instead of botaniz-
ing and working up the plants on all the major islands of the Archipelago
for three years, as initially proposed, I now favor concentrating (though
not necessarily limiting) our efforts to Kauai. The reasons are as follows:

1. Kauai is the oldest of the larger islands, is cut up into numerous
isolated mountain ranges inviting speciation, and harbors the largest num-
ber of endemic genera.

2. Trustees of the little Kokee Natural History Museum in the interior
of Kauai at an elevation of 3,500 ft., have offered its facilities to us.

3. I was able to employ part-time the custodian of the Kokee Museum, a
former pig and goat hunter familiar with the interior of the island, to
help botanize with aid of a pack horse. He is prepared to continue such
work. Thus I could start botanizing immediately should the grant be ap-
proved.

4. Kauai residents are eager to explore with me various isolated wind-
ward valleys, and are willing to pay their share for hiring a sampan to
get us there.