Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1908-12-06
PLANS OF BIG HUNT
Roosevelt Makes First oficial An
nouneement of African Trip.
EMINENT SCIENTISTS TO L
Smithsonian Institute Will Outfit the
Expedition.
TO SECURE RARE COLLECTIONS
Son Kermit Will Be OfRcial Pho
togrspher Of Party.
STARTS SOON AFTER HE RETRES
Large Vanishing African Animals
killed viii Be Prepared and
shipped TO Smithsonian
InstitutiOn.
STARTS SOON AFTER HE RETRES


tute made his first Official announcement
regarding the hunting trip to Africa, on
which he will start within two weeks after
he retires from the presidency. The ex-
pedition is TO be outfitted by the Smith
sonian institute the president defraying
his own expenses and will gather natural
history materials for the new national mu-
scum.
Mombaso will be reached in April next
year, but no detailed itinerary beyond that
place has been made except the general
route to Lake Victoria Mama and then
down the Nile to Khartoum. where it IS
expected the party will arrive about April,
1910 The official statement follows:
In March. 1909. Mr. Theodore Roosevelt
will head a scientific expedition TO Africa,
outfitted by the Smithsonian institution
and starting from New York City. This
expedition will gather natural history ma
terials for the government collections 70 be
deposited by the Smithsonian institution in
the new United States museum at Wash
ington.
Besides the president and his son. Ker-
NIT Roosevelt, the personnel Of the party
on leaving New York will consist Of three
representatives Of the Smithsonian institu-
ton. Major Edgar A. Means medical corps
I AaANth CAoASo a 4AlS ANAalNNs NAA' A@NA-ieA-N
Heller and Mr.. J. Alden Loring. on ar
riving in Africa the party will be enlarged
by the addition Of Mr. r. J. Cuninghame,
who is now in Africa preparing the presi-
dents outfit He will have charge of a
number Of native porters. who. with neces-
! sary animals will be formed into a small
caravan.
VIII XIII the Big Game.
Nr M viii kill the
/ big game the skins and skeletons OF which
/ will be prepared and shipped TO the United
/ States by other members Of the party. M
Kermit Roosevelt is TO be the official pho
/ togrspher Of the expedition.
The national collections are very de-
] ficient in natural history materials from
/ the Dark Continent. and an effort will be
made by the expedition to gather general
! collections in zoology and botany TO sup
ply some of its deficiencies. but the main
effort will be to collect the large and van
ishing African animals.
! Mr.. r. ]. Cuninghame who is now en-
! gagged in assembling the materials for Mr..
! Roosevelt's use has been engaged to act
as guide and manager Of the caravan. Mr.
! Cuninghame is also an experienced col
lector OF natural history specimens having
made collections for the British museum in
| Norway and Africa. He is an English field
man who has guided many expeditions in
Africa and was chief hunter for the Field
| Columbian exposition.
Mr.. Edmund Heller, a graduate Of STAN
I ford university class Of 1901 is q thor
oughly trained naturalist whose special
work will be the preparation and preserva-
, ton Of specimens OF large animals Mr..
Heller is about 80 years Of age. His former
I oNneripDre when aESnriafa1 NTH ~ 4.
Eliot and Mr.. Ackley Of the Field Colum-
bian museum, in collecting big game ami
mails in the same portions OF Africa which
Mr. Roosevelt will visit will be a valuable
asset 10 the expedition. Mr.. Heller has
had large experiences in animal collecting
in Alaska British Columbia, United States
Mexico. Central America and South Amer.
lea In the year 1898 he made a collecting
trip Of eleven months 10 Galapagos islands
starting from San Francisco. He is a borr
and enthusiastic collector as well as a wei
equipped naturalist He is also the author
Of scientific papers on mammals. birds
reptiles and fishes. At present he is as
sistant curator OF the Museum Of verte.
hrate Zoology OF the University OF Cali
fornia
Field Naturalist in Party,
Mr.. J. Alden Lorng is a field natural
ist, whose training comprises service II
the biological survey OF the Department
Of Agriculture and in the Bronx EooIogica
park, New York City. as well as O,
numerous collection trips through British
America, Mexico and the United States
He Is about "a years old, Of ardent temper
, ament and intensely energetic In An
gust, September and October, 1898 he mad
. the highest record for a travelling collector
having sent in 10 the United tSates Nat
ural museum 900 well prepared specimen
! OF small mammals IN the three months
{ journey from London through Sweden
J Germany, Switzerland and Belgium
Major Edward A MeaFns. q retired Of
. fcer Of the medical corps Of the army
about 5S years Of age. VIII be the physl
clan Of the party. He has had twenty -fiv
years experience as an army doctor. an
Is also well known as a naturalist an
: collector Of natural history specimens.
The party will reach Mombassa in Aprf
: 1853. No detailed Itinerary has been decide
upon, but the general route will Be u
the Uganda railway 10 Nairod and LAX
Victoria Nyanzs. a distance of about &
miels by rail thence crossing intoUgands
, and finally passing down the Nile TO Cairo
Much OF the hunting will be done in BIRTHS
East Africa. where the Uganda railroa
can be used as a base OF supplies an
, means Of ready transportation. At Ieas
one great uoutain, possibly Mount Kenis
= Z will be visited
"KhArtum will be reached. II all goe
, well, about April, 1910. The expedition ma
be expected to spend about one year o
! African soil"