At the International Zoological Congress at Budapest in 1927, Mayr was introduced by Stresemann to banker and naturalist Walter Rothschild, who asked him to undertake an expedition to New Guinea on behalf of himself and the American Museum of Natural History in New York. In New Guinea, Mayr collected several thousand bird skins (he named 38 new bird species during his lifetime) and, in the process also named 38 new orchid species. During his stay in New Guinea, he was invited to accompany the Whitney South Sea Expedition to the Solomon Islands. Also, while in New Guinea, he visited the Lutheran missionaries Otto Thiele and Christian Keyser, in the Finschhafen district; there, while in conversation with his hosts, he uncovered the discrepancies in Hermann Detzner's popular book Four Years among Cannibals: New Guinea, in which Detzner claimed to have seen the interior, discovered several species of flora and fauna, while remaining only steps ahead of the Australian patrols sent to capture him. He returned to Germany in 1930.
at the international zoological congress at budapest in 1927 mayr was introduced by stresemann to banker and naturalist walter rothschild who asked him to undertake an expedition to new guinea on behalf of himself and the american museum of natural history in new york in new guinea mayr collected several thousand bird skins (he named 38 new bird species during his lifetime) and in the process also named 38 new orchid species during his stay in new guinea he was invited to accompany the whitney south sea expedition to the solomon islands also while in new guinea he visited the lutheran missionaries otto thiele and christian keyser in the finschhafen district; there while in conversation with his hosts he uncovered the discrepancies in hermann detzner's popular book four years among cannibals new guinea in which detzner claimed to have seen the interior discovered several species of flora and fauna while remaining only steps ahead of the australian patrols sent to capture him he returned to germany in 1930