hiː mˌeɪd hɪz fˈɜːst kəlˈɛktɪŋ ˌɛkspədˈɪʃən tə pwˈɛɹɾoʊ ɹˈiːkoʊ ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪntiːn, ðˈɛn bɪkˌeɪm ðɪ ɐsˈɪstənt kjʊɹɹˈeɪɾɚɹ ʌv ɹˈɛptaɪlz ænd æmfˈɪbiənz æt ðə fˈiːld mjuːzˈiəm ʌv nˈætʃɚɹəl hˈɪstɚɹi ɪn ʃᵻkˈɑːɡoʊ ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd twˈɛnti tˈuː.
He made his first collecting expedition to Puerto Rico in 1919, then became the assistant curator of reptiles and amphibians at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago in 1922.