The American Museum of Natural History’s Second Asiatic Zoological
Expedition (1918-1919) was led by Roy Chapman Andrews. It can be considered as a
continuation of the preparatory work for the Central Asiatic Expeditions of
1921-1930. The main goal of the Second Expedition was to explore and collect
mammal and bird specimens from the northeastern region of the Asian plateau,
namely the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. The specimens were to be used in the
Museum’s proposed hall of Asiatic life. Further, Andrews saw the expedition as
another step in his larger expeditionary plan.
The Morden-Clark Expedition, funded and planned by William James Morden
and assisted by James L. Clark and a team of local guides, ventured into Central
Asia in search of specimens for the Asian Hall of Mammals. The Expeditoin
resulted in specimens of Ovis Poli sheep, Ibex, and Roe Deer, as well as film
and photographs of the journey and the animals in their natural habitats. The
Expedition set out in early 1926 and returned home in February 1927.