Omaha daily bee., 1909-03-21

the headquarters and base Of supplies and
from there trips will be made into the
country Whereabouts which abounds with
animals Of all kinds. 1t is in this section
that Mr.. Roosevelt hopes to do most OF his
hunting and collecting. Trips, extending
from a week to a month In length. will be
made in all directions. Supplies and camp
ing outfit will be carried by natives and
camps established at various points on the
trips. II has been decided that snow-capped
Mount Kenia, 1900 feet high, an extinct
volcano near Ndoro. to the north Of Mai
robi. will be the objective point Of one Of
these trips. On Noun Kenia, at a point
part way up, one of the field naturalists
probably will be stationed for some time in
order to collect specimens of all kinds there.
The smaller mammals will be caught in
traps, an elaborate outfit Of which is being
taken by the expedition. In fact, these
form the heaviest part Of the equipment.
The supplies of the party are packed in
tin-lined boxes, These boxes when they
have been emptied will be used as packing
cases for the various specimens. Many val
liable natural history specimens have been
spoiled by ants and other insects, IL has
been found from experience on other expe-
ditions, and It is to guard against that
that the tin-llned boxes are being taken
along. When the specimens have been pre-
pared they will be carefully packed in the
boxes and shipped to Nairobi. where they
will be forwarded to the United States.
One Of the taxidermists will always be with
MIR. Roosevelt, and as soon as any big
game is shot by him 1t will be skinned ana
prepared on the spot.
Seeks White R~hinOeefou.
Mr.. Roosevelt will be. greatly disappointed
If he fails to kill several specimens OF the
white rhinoceros. This is the same as the
sQuare-mouthed rhinoceros and Is the near
est living ally to the type Of the extinct
tichorine or woolly rhinoceros which lived
In England at the close OF the glacial
period.
The outfit which Mr.. Cunninghame has
selected In london consists Of rot-proof
tents, green In color; a good supply of
mosquito netting, camp tools and cook
ing u~tensihs, Mr.. Roosevelt and the other
members OF the party will sleep ON the
simplest kinds Of light cots. A luxury
that will be taken are folding baths. A
large quantity Of p~reservatives and mate
rails for curing skins and preparing them
for shipment. home is being taken. Nairobi
being the central station of the Uganda
railway 1t will be easy to reach quickly
the remote parts of the country where the
party can strike off into the Jungle. All
the specimens will be taken care of at
Nairobi before shipment to the national
museum.
No definite arrangements nave been made
for the six months the party will SPEND
in the territory about Nairobi except that
short trips in search of specimens is to
be made from there. The presidents expe-
dition will not visit Mount Kilimanjaro on
the border between British East Africa
and German East Africa. The reason for
this is that the National museum has been
receiving a splendid collection of speed
mems from that locality from DR.. Abbott
of Philadelphia, who has been there for
some time.
The attitude Of the Nairobi district is
over 5000 feet above the sea and further
west the country reaches 1000 feet above
sea level. Taking the country as a whole,
the climate is distinctly favorable to health.
The days under the equatorial sun are hot,
but COOL nights amply atone for the heat
of the day. The rainy season In tina Sec
ton of Africa occurs from the end OF
january till the end of April. Another
rainy season, but OF short duration, occurs
about October or November. From May to
February is considered as the best season
for the shooting Of big game.
Journey to Interior.
In october the expedition will pack its
outfit at Nairobi and continue its journey
inland over the Uganda railway to Port
Florence on Lake Victoria Nyanza. At that
place a short stop will be made and proba-
bly, a trip will be made to Mount Elgon,
seventy-five miles north from there.
Mount Elgon is over 1900 feet in height.
When the party again returns To Port
Florence 1t will board a steamer Of the
railway service which plies about the lake
and proceed to Bntebbe, 80 miles away.
II is expected that Entebbe will be reached
early in December. At that point a small
caravan will be made up from animals
and natives which Mr.. C~uninghame has
specially engaged for the trip across
Uganda to the Nile. The first stop after
leaving Entebbe will be at Mengo. Then
by short stages 1t will proceed until reaoh-
Ing Kibira on Lake Albert Nvanza. The
journey across Uganda is expected to take
not more than a month and the expedition
should strike the White Nile the
first of the year 1910.
OF the greatest Importance is the battery
of guns which Mr.. Roosevelt will carry
along with him. Since 1t became known
that he intended to make a hunting expedi-
! llOn INTO AITlCd many VI III lIlSAuS nave
presented him with guns. But he did not
select any Of these to take with him on his
trip. Instead, he had made specially for
him by one of the best American gun
manufacturer four different types Of rifles,
each having a special use. The first OF
these is a powerful rifle of .46 oalfber,
carrying a So-grain bullet, and IL intended
for the very largest type OF African game,
such as the rhinoceros. hippopotamus and
elephant. Smokeless powder is used and
It's power can be measured by the fact thai
the bullet at the time of impact has an
energy of '8,EOO-foot pounds. The second
rifle is known as the new 30 United States
government rimless cartride type carrying
a 22O-grain bullet and IL fitted to kill very
large game at a range OF 500 TO 1000 yards
This will be the lion gun. The third rifle
is an extra light weapon, carrying a ST
cartridge, with Its most effective range 81
s. yards. 1t is OF .46 callber. This 1:
the weapon that Mr.. Roosevelt used con
siderably in his excursions for big game
In western United States. The fourth rifle
is a 400 gun for moderate sized game
carrying q smokeless powder cartridge
with a bullet Of ITO grains. 1t is also Of 6
- - -. a.. 80 haa A.on ,.gaT