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Show ROQSEVELTS' HUNT for afrjcan GAME Lions and Other Animals Shot in Large Numbers. YEAR ON DARK CONTINENT Naturalists Collected Hundreds of Specimens for the Smithsonian Institution Kermit Photographer Photog-rapher of the Party. Theodore Roosevelt's hunting trip in Africa, officially known as the Smithsonian Smith-sonian African expedition, lasted nearly near-ly eleven months and was most successful suc-cessful in every way. The colonel's desire to hunt big game was not all that was back of the trip, for the Smithsonian Institution wanted specimens speci-mens of the fauna and flora of the Dark Continent and commissioned the ex-president to obtain them. For this reason, a part of the expenses were borne by the Institution, but Mr. Roosevelt paid all the expenses of himself and his son Kermit, presumably presuma-bly earning much of them by his articles arti-cles in a magazine for which he received re-ceived a record-breaking price. Not wasting much time after leaving leav-ing the White House, Colonel Roosevelt Roose-velt sailed from New York on the steamship Hamburg, headed for Naples. Na-ples. With him were Kermit and three naturalists. Major Mearns, Edmund Ed-mund Heller and J. Alden Loring, and stowed in the hold was most of their elaborate outfit for killing or photographing photo-graphing the animals of East Africa and for preserving the specimens destined des-tined for the Smithsonian Institution. Kermit had trained himself to be the chief photographer of the expedition, but he also turned out to be considerable consider-able of a hunter. A great throng of friends and admirers ad-mirers bade the colonel farewell, and he sailed away, but could not entirely separate himself from the world, for practically all the way across the Atlantic At-lantic wireless communication with the Hamburg was maintained. Moreover, More-over, at the Azores, and again at Gibraltar, he found the officials and people Insisted on doing him honor, and when he reached Naples on April 5 the entire populace turned out to greet him with flowers and cheers. Boarding the German steamship Admiral Ad-miral for Mombasa, Mr. Roosevelt found in his cabin a quantity of flowers flow-ers and a letter from Emperor William wishing him "good hunting." At Messina Mes-sina a stop was made to view the earthquake ruins, and there, at King Victor Emmanuel's request, Mr. Roosevelt Roose-velt and Kermit visited the Italian monarch on board the battleship Rex Umberto. The party arrived at Mombasa Mom-basa April 21 and was received by Acting Governor Jackson, who had been instructed by the British government govern-ment to do all in his power '.o further the plans of the expedition. Unusual privileges were granted the hunters, and Mr. Roosevelt and Kermit were licensed to kill lions. At Mombasa the party was Joined by R. J. Cuninghame, a veteran African Afri-can hunter and explorer, and Leslie J. Tarleton, and these two managed the expedition in a most able manner. Taking train to Kapitil plains, the party became the guests of Sir Alfred Pease on his ranch. An immense caravan of 260 persons was organized and on April 25 Colonel Roosevelt had his first African hunt. On this occasion he bagged two wildebeests and a Thompson's gazelle. April 30 was a notable day in the camp on the Athi, for on that day the first lions fell victims to the marksmanship of the Roosevelts. Theodore shot two and Kermit one, and there was great rejoicing among the natives who made up the caravan. After that the big game came fast and cheetahs, giraffes, rhinoceroses and more lions were added to the list, in all 14 varieties of animals being secured. Meanwhile Kermit was busy with his cameras and the naturalists prepared the specimens. spe-cimens. George McMillan, an American, was the next host of the hunters, and several sev-eral weeks were spent on his fine Ju Ja ranch and in the surrounding country. coun-try. There the game was very plentiful plenti-ful and many fine specimens were bagged. Members of the party made several extensive trips of exploration, notably on and around Mount Kenia. The expedition left East Africa December De-cember 19, crossed Uganda and went down the White Nile, getting back to comparative civilization at Gondokoro There they went aboard a steamei put at their disposal by the sirdar and journeyed to Khartum, where Mrs. Roosevelt met her husband, and accompanied him in a leisurely trip tc Cairo. During his stay in Egypt Col onel Roosevelt was the recipient oi many honors and made severa) speeches. One of them, in which he praised the administration of the British, gave considerable offense to I V v.r ( - - lx . ' K r i "' "i.. i , i " i- - , if 4 ' ( x " - i i. , l " ' , . t -, ,. ' - ' , . f , f .-. y . -.-Jh, n ..- " xcv. f -ir-,v ' Irrom Btereogntph, copyright, by Underwood A Underwood-N-T. IN THE AFRICAN JUNGLE the native Nationalists. At the end of March the Roosevelts sailed for Italy. In a preliminary report to the Smithsonian Institution Mr. Roosevelt summarized the material results of the expedition as follows: "On the trip Mr. Heller has pre pared 1,020 specimens of mammals the majority of large size; Mr. LorinJ has prepared 3,163, and Doctor Mearns 714 a total of 4,897 mammals. Of birds, Doctor Mearns has prepared nearly 3,100, Mr. Loring 899, and Mr. Heller about fifty a total of abou' 4,000 birds. "Of reptiles and batrachians, Messrs Mearns, Loring and Heller collected about 2,000. "Of fishes, about BOO were collected Doctor Mearns collected marine fishes near Mombasa, and fresh water fishes elsewhere in British East Africa, and he and Cuninghame collected fishes in the White Nile. "This makes. In al, of vertebrates: Mammals 4 S!I7 Birds (about "!... !!!"!! !" 4 mVi Heptiles and batrachians (about)'.!!!! 2 On.) l'ishes (about) ' 500 Total .17 "The Invertebrates were collected chiefly by Doctor Mearns. with some assistance from Messrs. Cuninghame and Kermit Roosevelt. "A few marine shells were collected near Mombasa, and land and freshwater fresh-water shells throughout the regions visited, as well as crabs, beetles, mllli-peds, mllli-peds, and other invertebrates. "Anthropological materials were gathered by Doctor Mearns, with some assistance from others; a collection was contributed by Major Ross, an American In the government service at Nairobi." E. WEBSTER. |