Correspondence was one of the primary ways in which Pitman conducted his
zoological, herpetological, and
ornithological research, as he relied almost solely on his own observations or the first-hand observations of others for data. This is particularly apparent in his files relating to the second edition of his
Guide to the Snakes of Uganda (1974). This book, which was originally published in serial form in the
Uganda Journal (1936–1937), is the foundation for Pitman's reputation as a methodical and exhaustive herpetologist. The Ugandan forester and naturalist,
William Julius Eggeling, supplied a large number of snakes to Pitman. Pitman was not limited to one area of research, however, and planned to publish, and at the time of his death had completed the typescript of, a book on elephants. This was to have been illustrated with his own photographs, as were his other autobiographical books,
A Game Warden Among His Charges (1931) and
A Game Warden Takes Stock (1942). As well as books, Pitman published a plethora of articles, in scientific and popular journals, magazines and newspapers. Pitman's work became known to the public through radio interviews and newspaper articles concerning East Africa and the need for game conservation. Pitman's support of museum collections, especially the
Hebrew University,
Natural History Museum,
Liverpool Museum,
The Royal Albert Museum, Exeter, and the
American Museum of Natural History,
New York City, was generous and long-continued. For example, Pitman donated some three thousand meticulously documented clutches of eggs, to the Natural History Museum. ==The Pitman Collection==