Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-02-22

chief hunter and guide In the Field
Columbian Museum expedition in Cen
! trail Africa Mr. Cunnghame for
some months has been employed i'll
assembling the materials for Mr.
| Roesevelt's use. He will act as gem
| eral manager of the expedition, guild
ing the party and taking charge of the
native portcrs. Mr.. Cuninghame is an
experienced collector of natural history
specimens and has made collections for
the British Museum in Norway and At
rica. No better manager for the trip
could have been selected because Mr..
Cunninghame is thoroughly familiar
with every nook and corner of Central
| Africa ana its natives. He spent some
time IL London purchasing the outfit
for the expedition and shipping it to
Mombasa. After that had been COM
peted he procee ded to British Africa
and has been engaged in selecting the
natives and animals necessary for the
| expedition. He will meet the party
at Mombasa.
Upon reaching Kilindini, April T.
the party will spend short time in
Mombasa and then proceed by train
| on the Uganda Railway to Nairobi, the
Iopltetl VI L hdilIDtt HioNlHtc anu Htdt-
| quarters of the administration of Brit
list East Africa Protectorate. a city OF
| 1854 inhabitants, of whom $40 are Eu-
ropeans. Nairobi will be used as the
headquarters and base of supplies and
from there trips will be made into the
country thereaboutS which abounds
with animals of all kinds. 1t is in this
section that Ny. Roosevelt hopes to do
most Of his hunting and collecting.
Trips, extending from a week to :.
| month in length, will be made in all Gil
rcctions. Supplies and camping outfit
Will be carried by natives and camps
established at various points on the
trips. 1t has been decided that snow
capped Mount Kenia, $4,000 feet high,
an extinct volcano near Moro, TO the
north of Nairobi, will be the objective
point of one of these trips. On Mount
kenia, at point part way up, one Of
the field naturalists probably VIII be
stationed for some time in order to
collect specimens of all kinds there
The smaller mammals will lie 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-lincd boxes.
These boxes when they have been emp
tied will be used as packing cases for
the various specimens. Many valuable
natural history specimens have been
spoiled by ants and other insects, it
has been found from experience on
other expeditions, and it is to guard
against this that the tin-lined boxes
4 hai ali No
cinens have been prepared they will
be carefully packed in the boxes ana
shipped to Nairobi where they will be
forwarded to the United States One
Of tho taxidermists viii always be with
Mr.. Roosevelt, and as soon as any big
game IS shot by him it will he skinned
and prepared on the spot.
-Mr. Roosevelt will be greatly disap-
pointed if he fails to kill several spec
lmens of the white rhinoceros. This is
the same as the square mouthed rhi-
noceros and is the nearest living ally
to the type Of the extinct Tichcrine or
Woolly rhinoceros which lived in Eng
land ut the close of the Glacial period.
The outfit which Mr.. Cuninghame
has selected in London consists of rot
proof tents, green in color; Il good sup
ply Of mosquito netting, camp tools
and cooking utensils Mr.. Roosevelt
and the other members of the party
will sleep on the simplest kind of light
cots. A luxury that will be taken are
folding baths. A large quantity of
p"eservatlves and materials for curing
skins and preparing them for shipment
home is being taken. NairOb being
the central station of the Uganda Rail
way it will be easy to reach quickly
the remote parts of the country where
the party can strike off into the jun
sic. All the specimens will be taken
care of at Nairobi before shipment
to the National Museum.
Nc definite arrangements have been
made for the six months the party will
spend in the territory about Nairob
except that short tips in search of
specimens is to be made from there
The Presidents expedite "ill not Wis
it Mount Kilimanjaro, On the border
between British East Alta and Ger
man East Africa. The reason for this
is that the National Museum has been
receiving q splendid collection OF spec
linens from that locality from DR.. Alb
bolt. of Philadelphia, who has been
there for some time.
The altitude of the Narobi district
is over 5000 feet above the sea and
further west the country reaches 1000
feet above sea level. Taking the coun-
try as a whole, the climate is distinct
ly favorable to health. The days I'M
der the equatorial sun are hot, but
cool lights amply atone for the heat
Of the day. Tie rainy season in that
section CT Africa occurs from the end
of January till the end of April. An
other rainy season, but of short dura-
ton, occurs about October or Novcm-
Der. From May to February is con-
sidered as the best season for the
shooting of big game
In October the expedition will pack
it's outfit at Nairobi and continue it's
journey inland over the Uganda Rail-
way to Port Florence, on Lake Vic
toria NyanZa. At that place a short
stop will be made and probably trip
will be made to Mount Elgon, Is miles
north from there. Mount Elgon is
over $4,000 feet in height. When the
party again returns to Port Florence
it will board a steamer of the railway
service which niles abOut the lake and