San Francisco, Sept. 13, 1905.

My dear Wolcott:

I shall not have time now for a long letter, but there is one thing
I want to dispose of without fail, so I shall take it up first.  You
will remember that I told you of the work Dr. F. R. Blaisdell is doing
on Eleodes, and that you stated that it could be arranged for him to
have the University collection for reference, but that it would not be
possible to get them together before sometime in August, on account of
your absence from Lincoln.  Well, I wrote about it to Blaisdell, and
did not hear from him, so when I got to San Francisco I called one
evening, and he states that he has been away most of the summer - which
accounts for his failure to answer my letter - and that he will be very
glad indeed to have the University material.  I told him that I would
write you to that effect; which has now been did, as it were.  I wish
you might see his manuscript; he has hundreds of pages of it, and his
plates are something beautiful.  It will be a work worth while.

I spent August 27th at Saltair, collecting nice series of echo, and
haemorrhagica, several specimens of vulgaris (typical) and hirticollis,
and one specimen of tenuicincta.  I had only a day and a half at Portland,
and no opportunity to collect.  Had a nice visit with Wallace at the
Harney County exhibit in the Agricultural Building.  A telegram cut my
outing very short, beating me out of a day in Macleay Park at Portland
and two days at Shasta Springs which I had planned.  I tell you, Wolcott,
the only place worth while is the sandhills country, Fifty miles from a
telegraph line, and I can't give you any idea of how badly I want a week
or ten days there early next June.  I haven't found as interesting a
section anywhere from Florida to Oregon.

Have had two Sundays at Mill Valley, at base of Mt. Tamalpais, but
the country is so miserably dry that the birds are very rare and the
beetles dried up or out of season, so from my chosen standpoints the
outlook was not so brilliant as it might seem.  I have been having a fine
time evenings, visiting Fuchs and Van Dyke and Blaisdell.  Dr. Blaisdell
has a happy family of about 250 or 300 larvae of Omus ambiguus which he
is raising.  Dr. Van Dyke had a month or so in Washington this spring
and summer, and brought home among other plunder a magnificent series of
C. depressula, of which he has given me a typical dozen.  I brought out
a couple hundred specimens of taccers from Omaha and Council Bluffs, and
you may be sure they were enthusiastically received.  I had no means of
transporting the specimens of Euphorbia hirtipes and Cre-what? wheeleri
which you gave me for these San Francisco people, but I told them, and
they are delighted.  I don't know what Fuchs has laid up for me; he
says he will have my "box" ready when I return to San Francisco from
Los Angeles; but among other good things are Omus Edwardsii and intermedius.

Leave here tomorrow evening for Los Angeles; have Saturday and Sunday
either there or at Catalina - haven't decided which; go Monday to Tucson
for day or two, and then return to Los Angeles and San Francisco, returning
to Omaha via Portland and Salt Lake City.  Out of all that country I
should get a crack at some new things after hours and on Sundays.

If you write within ten days, which you are cordially invited to do,
you may address me here, c/o General Auditor S.P.Co., 807 Merchants Exch.
Building; after that at Omaha.  Anxious to hear what you have done this
summer, and will hand it to you more in detail at a later date ^as regards myself.
I called on your brother at his office the other day; he is all right,
and I'll do it again.   - Best wishes to Mrs. W.              Your friend

[following paragraph crossed with pen lines]
ELLERY W. DAVIS, UNIVERSITY
PRESIDENT
J. H. POWERS, CRETE
VICE PRESIDENT
R. H. WOLCOTT, UNIVERSITY
SECRETARY
G. A. LOVELAND,
U. S. WEATHER BUREAU
TREASURER

THE NEBRASKA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE
FOUNDED 1891

[following paragraph crossed with pen lines]
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
E. BRUNER, UNIVERSITY
WM. CLEBURNE, OMAHA
C. A. GORDON, LINCOLN
H. B. DUNCAN, LINCOLN
THE PRESIDENT, VICE PRESIDENT
SECRETARY AND TREASURER EX-
OFFICIO

LINCOLN,
Sept. 22.         1905

My dear Shoemaker -

Your letter and cards both received,
the former not promptly as it came when Dr Leavard and I
was not coming up to the University except at intervals. Shall
however address you at San Francisco. Will go after the Eleodes
and get them together as soon as possible.

Did little collecting this summer. At Columbia, Mo. ran very
busy - and only cephalota, formicola and euphorbeana there any good.
At Boulder, Colo, the first week in July, collected a lot of hirticollis.
Since my return here, a month ago have been out once or twice
only - we have had very much rainy and cloudy weather. Am
expecting to get out now after fulgida and togata.

Cannot you get down here soon? why not drop off on your way
home, since you have two days or less, and then go on to Omaha?
I'd like mighty well to have a day with you on the salt basin.

As to the Sand hills ~ well I'm yours, honey, any time after
the first week in June. Am going to take all of next summer off,
mostly collecting, and hope to divide the Sandhills, Sioux Co., &
other places in the state.

You don't know how I long for another good visit - so make
it as soon as you can - while there are still "taggers" on the basin
here.

With regards from both Mrs. W. & myself,
Yours cordial,
Robt. H. Wolcott