The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-12-17
THAT AFRICAN TRIP
RO0sEvELTvs AGREEMENT WITH
 SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTE.
President Has Arranged for Taxider- mlses and Naturalfstn to Acc0na-
 pany Him and Preserve
 the specimens.

Washington, Dec 16s--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 cott. $ecretaryaof the institution.
 At q meeting of the Board of Regents of the institution, held yesterday, the letter of the President was laid before the Board. which, in turn. adopted the resolution given, thereby entering into a contract with the President for cer- tain work.
 The letter and resolution follows:
 oyster Bay. June 20, 1908. My Dear Dr. Walcott:
 About the 1st of April next intend to start for Africa. My plans are. of course, indefinite. but at present I.1ope they wiilrbe sonething on the follow
 "By May 1st shall land at Mombasa and spend the next few months hunt ing and travelling in British and Ger man iaat F Axrteat prDb4bay going thence to or toward Uganda with the expectation of striking the Nile about the beginning of the new year. and then working down it, with side trips after animals and birds, so as 40 come out at .tidewater. say, about March fst. This would give me ten months in Africa.
 "As you know. am not in the least 6 game butcher. I like to do a ccr- and main Interest is the interest of sa faunal naturalist. Now, it seems to me that this opens the best chance for the National Museum to get a fine collection, not only of the big game beasts. but of the smaller mammals and birds of Africa; and. looking at 1t dispassionately. believe that the ~ha A. \. ' will make arrangements to pay for the expenses of myself and my son. But what would like to do would be to get one or two professional field taxidermistS, field naturalists, to go with me, who should prepare and send back the specimens we collect.
 P The collection which would thus go to the National Museum would be of unique value. It would, hope, include specimens of big game, .-to- gether with the rare smaller animals and birds. Ihave not the means that would enable me to pay for the field naturalists or taxidermists, and their kit and the curing and transporting of specimens for the National Museum.
 'iof course, the actual hunting of the big game would want to do my self, or have my son do; but the speci- ments will ali go to the National Mu- scum, save very few personal trophies of little scientific value which, for some reason, 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?
 "As ,ex-President, I should feel that the National Museum is the museum to which my collection should go.
 sincerely yours,
 Theodore Roosevelt"
 Resolved, That the Board of Regents of the smithsonian Institution express to Theodore Roosevelt, President of the United States. its appreciation of his very generous ofter contained in his letter of thet2Oth June. 1908. to the Sec retary of the Institution, with respect to his expedition to Africa: and that it accept the same."