Daily Kennebec journal., 1908-12-17
Presidents Interest Thatot
FaunaI Naturalist.
Terms Of His Agreement With
National Museum Made Public.
4 General Outline Of Plans For His
Years Hunt in Africa.

Washington, Dec 16.-The agreement
between President Roosevelt and the
Smithsonian Institution as to the
Presidents hunting trip in Africa, was
made public today by Charles D. Wal
colt, secretary of the institution, after
he had talked with the President. At
a meeting of the Board of Regents OF
the institution yesterday, the Presi-
dents letter was laid before the board,
which adopted the resolution given,
thereby entering into a contract with
the President for certain work. The let
ter and resolution follows:
Oyster Bay, N. Y, June 90, 1903.
"My Dear Doctor Walcott:
"About the first of April next l IN
tend to start for Africa. My plans are.
Of course, indefinite, but at present l
hope they will be something on the fol-
lowing order:
by May l I shal! land at Mombasa
and spend the next few months hunt
ing and travelling in British and Ger
man East Africa; probably going
thence to or toward Uganda. with the
expectation of striking the Nile about
the beginning of the new year, and
then worA ing down it. with side trips
after animals and birds so as to come
out at titewater, say about March l.
This would leave me 10 months in Al
rica. As YOU know, l am not In the
least a gtlme butcher. I like to do a
certain amount of hunting. but my
real and main interest is the interest
Of a faumal naturalist. Now. 1t seems
to me thai this opens the best chance
for the National Museum to get a hne
collection not only of the big game
beasts, but of the smaller mammals
and birds of Africa; and looking at IT
dispassiop ately. I believe that the
chance or ght not to be neglected.
"I will make arrangements TO pay
for the expenses of myself and my son.
But what I would like to do would be
to got O'H or two professional held
taxidern- i: s Of naturalists to go with
me, who ...,ould prepare and send BACK
the spe fr,ens we collect. The collec-
ton whEh will thus go to the Nation
al Musetlm would be of unique value.
It would, ] hope. include specimens
of hig game. together with the rare
smaller yaice and birds. I have not the
mems that would enable me to pay
for the field naturalists or taxider-
mists and their kit and the curing and
TRANSPORT of the specimens for the
National Museum. OF course. the actu-
nj hunting of the big game I would
want to do myself or have my son do;
but the specimens will all go to the
National Muselrnl, save very few per-
sonal trophies of little scientific value
which for some reason I might like to
keep. Now can you in view of getting
these specimens for the National Mu-
scum, arrange for the services of the
field taxidermists and for the care and
transportation of the specimens? I as
President should feel that the National
Museum is the museum to which my
collection SHOULD go.
"With high regard.
"Sincerely yours,
'"rHEpDORE ROOSEVELT"
'"To Hon. Charles D. Wolcott, Sec
retary, Smithsonian Institution. Wash
ington, D. G"
"Resolved. That the Board of Re
gents of the Smithsonian Institute ex-
press to Theodore Roosevelt, President
of the United States. its appreciation
Of his very generous offer, contained
in his letter of the Goth of June, 1908,
to the secretary of the institution. with
respect to his expedition to Africa, and
that il accept the same"