The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-12-04
HUNTED AFRICA FOR FAUN A.
Return of Prof. Elliot Of the Field CO.
lumbar Museum.

He Secured the Dark Continent for specl-
mens of Animals That Are Rapidly
Becoming Extinct-His Expedition
Was Successful in Every Particular.
Prof. D. G. Elliott, who has been in
Africa since last April, collecting specl-
mems for the Field Columbian Museum
of Chicago, arrived in this country yes
terday on the st. Louis. and is stop
ping now with DR.. Daniel Stimson, of
II West Seventeenth street, preparatory
to his return to the West. Prof. Elliott,
with G. r. Akely, the head taxidermist
of the museum, left the United States
on March last. The object of the ex-
petition was to collect specimens of large
mammals. Prof. Elliott told Sun re-
porter yesterday that he had informed
the directors that the animals Of the
kind of which they needed specimens
were fast becoming extinct, even in
Africa, and that unless the expedition
was undertaken promptly it might be
impossible to collect examples of the
mammals which the museum desired.
Prof. Elliott said that his expedition had
been even more successful than he had
anticipated. A large mum Der OF the
skins were shipped directly from Alden
to this country Oct. 30. and they are be-
liesed to be in Chicago already.
"We left Berbera in April, Prof. FL
lott said, latter having stopped at
Alden to make arrangements for the COM
pIetion of our outfit. We were compelled
to carry everything with us. and one OF
the chief burdens was the water we were
forced to take along. We travelled with
caravan Of ninety oamels and seventy
men. We were all armed with rifles.
Mr.. Akely. an Englishman named Dod-
son, and myself, were the only white men
in the party. We have the satisfaction
of having shot ourselves every specimen
that was brought back. We travelled In
all about 1000 miles, and wsnt 300
miles into the interior We made three
expeditions from the coast, which we
reached in April. The first WAS eastward
from Berbera over the range OF the Coils
to the Gobari Plain, where we en-
camped for three weeks. We then went
south from Berbera through Jerato Pass
of the Coils range to the Togo plain to
get a specimen of the hartsbeest and o
rare kind of antelope which has nearly
become extinct. Our last trip lasted
over two months. We went over the
Maredeh Plain and returned in October
to Alden.
eve suffered intensely from the heat
most of the time, and were sick with
the fever. There was no water to be had
except by digging under the dry beds of
the stream, and the water obtained in
this way was thick with mud. IT 1t had
not been that we made the expedition in
the rainy season We could never have
stood it as we'll as we did. We were able
to get some water In that way. but were
com PEELED TO rely in the main on the
water that we carried with us. 1t was
the same way with the food. The natives
grew nothing. The only meat they eat
is that of the diseased sheep or camels
which are killed when they are about
to die. We could occasionally get sheep
from the natives. and we shot some
game. IT oil tasted the same. The an
telope meat was like tasteless leather,
and the birds were even worse. There
is no fat on any Of the animals. They
exist practically without water. The
birds were most abundant there, and we
killed guinea hens, doves, Ffanklins
and nearly every kind of bird. If had
gone there with the necessary facilities
for keeping the skins OF the birds could
have brought back the finest collection
of birds in the world. AS 1t was, I
rought back about 5000.
"The rarest specimen / got was q
Baira antelope, which has not only be-
soma very rare, bat is extremely difficult
to shoot. It is small animal and very
agile. got a most complete collection
OF mammals, and brought back not only
an example Of every kind, .Rut specimens
mounted together in groups, surround ed
by the plants and rocks Of the region in
which they were caught. The museum
will have the most complete COLLECTION
of large mammals in the world. We
were able to hunt only for few hours
every day. We started at day break, and
were compelled to stop by 10 O'Clock in
the forenoon, as the heat was too inten Sc
by that time to continue in tbs sun.
We then attended to the skinning Of the
animals we had killed, and it the heat
was not too instense we would hunt
again in the late afternoon, but 1t was
rarely possible to do that.
The regions we Waited were almost
unknown to white men, and we en-
countsred the natives constantly. We
were not molasted. The native tribes
were at war with one another, and too
jealous to unite even to attack strangers.
Besides that, we wereEarmed with rifles.
We were only seventy men, but they
had only spears. The Orgadan tribes.
who have never allowed a white man to
enter their villages, were not friendly
when we encountered them, but they
did not attack us. We were supplied
with beads and calico to trade with the
natives. One tribe of the Midgens were
devastating the country around US. and
they we're armed with poisoned arrows,
but they left us alone. The A byssinians,
who were raiding the country through
which we travelled, kept ahead OF us,
and we were fortunate enough not to meet
them. Some of the natives who had
suffered from their atrocities followed
our caravan for perfection. We lad with
US Duella Idres, who had Travelled In
Africa with Stanley for eight years, and
other interpreters who knew the Gala
tongue. Our force WAS nothing compared
to the numbers of natives we met. but
they respected our guns.
The animals OF Africa are rapidly be-
coming extinct. and within a short time
there will be none of them left. The
rinderpest swept outward-over the
country three years ago. and that de-