New Haven, Connecticut,
Yale Forest School,
May 22, 1939
Mr. Aldo Leopold,
424 University Farm Place,
Madison, Wisconsin
Dear Mr. Leopold:
Ellsworth huntington made arrangements for me to
see Dr. RaymoniPearl, P-ofessor of Biology, Johns Hopkins Tniver-
sity, Baltimore Maryland, and to discuss the cycle work with him.
I went down to see him last Friday, taking a sample of the Bird-
L&re material with me. He was very much impressed with the
volime of data. Dr. Pearl is not a field biologist and at the
moment is interested in problems somewhat removed from popnlation
fluctuations. He thinks that the data give an extraordinaiy
op-ortunity for study of "species association", that is, the
social side of species relptionships.
The upshot of it is that he said he knew three
sportsmen who should be interested in sponsering a project of this
nature. They grouse shoot in Scotland, duck shoot in the Northwest,
and. all that sort of thing. He will invite them to dinrer some
time within the next three weeks and propose tha-t ech contribute
$1500 for two years, making a fund of $4500. I weald be apainted
a Fellow at $3500 per year for the two years, and have $1000 for
clerical help, per year. It looks as though the Cycle Study may
amount to something after all.
Doctor Pearl wants to have some colroborative
opinions to show the prospective sponsers and asked that I get
you, Leon Cole, Alexander Ruthven, and Dean Graves to write letters
endorsing me and the work so that he can impress the prospects with
the fact that the work is sound and recommended by others. I shall
see Dean Graves and write to the others. I would appreciate it very
much if you would writ(e a letter to Doctor Pearl which he can show
to the prospects, and would also apnreciate it if you would mention
to Leon C-le that I am writing to him about it.
Doctor Pearl is acknowledged to be the country's
foremost Biometrician and his interest in the work will be a big
boost in putting it across to the old-line biological world, as
well as meanine: som:et ing in statistical analysis.