**Participants:**
– Dr. Leonard C. Sanford initiated the expedition
– Harry Payne Whitney financed the expedition
– Rollo H. Beck led the expedition from 1920-1928
– Hannibal Hamlin led the expedition from 1928-1930
– Ernst Mayr joined the expedition in 1929-1930
**Collecting Efforts:**
– Over 40,000 bird specimens were collected
– Numerous plant specimens were gathered
– Extensive collection of anthropological items and photographs was amassed
– Bougainville Island yielded many specimens
– The expedition visited islands in Oceania, Micronesia, Polynesia, and Melanesia
**Administration and Funding:**
– The expedition was administered by a committee at the AMNH
– It attracted funds for research on the biota of Pacific islands
– The AMNH curated the Rothschild collection
– The expedition used the 75-ton schooner France
– Many scientists and collectors participated over more than a dozen years
**References:**
– American Museum of Natural History Research Library holds records of the expedition
– Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History has information on the expedition
– Ernest H. Quayle’s contributions are documented
– Robert Cushman Murphy wrote about the expedition in Science
– NPR highlighted the bird mapping efforts on Bougainville Island
**Bibliography:**
– Frank M. Chapman’s work on the expedition was published in Science
– R.C. Murphy’s publication in Science discussed the expedition
– The Whitney South Sea Expedition spanned 1920-1941
– The expedition’s impact on scientific research is documented
– Various publications and archives provide insights into the expedition
