Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-09
MI. Baker Brings Direct Word
From Africa.
ALSO A BUNCH OF ANIMALS
Zoo Collector Tells of His Experience
to Biological Society.
ROOSEVELT
COL
Skin the Color Of Saddle Leather
and Admits That He Has
Learned Something.

Direct NOIu OF bWand WA
brought to the members OF the Biological
Society last night by \. L. Baker. as
sistant director of the National Geological
Park. who recently returned from Eas
Africa with a fine collection of animals
for the Zoo. The topic of Mr.. Baker:
address to the society, which met in th'
small hall at George Washington Uni
versity, was his trip with the animals
but when he concluded the first question
asked i'm the discussion that followed
was:
How did you leave our late Presi
dent?''
THE day ! got to Nairobi. said Mr.
Baker. ~ was standing in the street
when all Of a sudden I saw a carriag,
drive by. In II was a man wearing q
we'll worn khaki suit and wide-brimmet
felt hat. There was something familiar
about the figure, and as the carr1ag,
passed me I recognized Col. Roosevelt
Later I was told he had come in from the
wilds for a rest.
THAT afternoon / met Kermit Roose.
welt, and he told me his father wanted
me to take tea with him. OF course,
went. / found the colonel sitting on the
veranda talking with a newspaper man
when he left Washington. but he looked
as hard as nails. His skin was abou,
the color OF saddle leather.
Col. Roosevelt Learns Something.
I'm the course of conversation he told
us that he thought he had discovered
while he was President, every type OF
folly the American people were capable
of. but he had discovered new scheme
since he had been in Africa. The pro-
prietor of every small zoo in America.
he said, had written, asking him to send
them specimen. Anything would do
they wrote, from d field mouse to tiger.
The richest letter he had. the colonel
added. came from a society of hunters in
New York. The members wanted to give
him dinner upon his return, the secre-
tary had written, and would he please
pickle. preserve or otherwise keep in
condition piece of meat from every
sort of animal he had killed, SO they
could have them all for the dinner?
1t looks like they want me to give
them dinner instead of lett ng them
give me one was Col. Roosevelt's con-
Guiding remark
Mr.. Baker brought back to America
and landed safely in the Zoo here five
lions, three females and two males, the
gift of w. NJ. Mcmillan of the famous
Ju ia ranch. twenty-five miles from
Nafrobi: one leopard, one wart hog (Which
got seasick on the way over and threat
ened to die), two Glands. two hartebeestes
one waterbuck, one zebra, one Thomp.
sons gaZelle. one baboOn, one lophiomys
Ca peculiar and rare rodent), two eagles
two vultureS and one hawk. Two white.
bearded gnu died on the way.
Pleasures Of African Travel.
Leaving Washington in July. Mr. Baker
went to Africa via London and Ham
burg arriving at Mombasa September
16 Thence he went to Nairobi by rail
Nairobi is 300 miles from the coast. The
trip took twenty-four hours. The railwa,
carriages. Mr.. Baker said. bore inside &
sign which said. Seat u. sleep r.
Mr.. Baker was one of the four who
tried to sleep. But the red dust of the
desert settled upon him overnight and
he was covered with it in the morning
Having been tipped off to the custom OF
the country. he carried his bedding with
him.
From Nairobi to the Ju Jul ranch, d
distance Of twenty-five miles. Mr.. Baker
drove n wagon through herds of Zebras
and antelope Of all species. All the wild
animals. he said, showed the character
istics of the famous chicken-they wanted
to get across the road.
mo matter which side of the road they
were on Mr.. Baker told his hearers,
the animals wanted to get on the other
as soon as they saw the wagon. They
would start from hundred yards to the
left and rush to the right. We would
often get quite close to the tail enders,
but they would never turn back, being
seemingly bent on crossing the road at
any COST
At the Ju Ju ranch were the five lions
Mr.. Mcmillan had offered to the Wash
ington Zoo. They were dwelling in peace
and quiet in big house built for them
Also there was a beautiful leopard. The
Smithsonian party that Col Roosevelt
went with had taken a liberal supply
of steel bars and lumber to build cages
the job of building the cages. They
spoke no English and worked with eA-
asperating slowness, taking d month for
the job.