The sun., 1910-05-08
UOOSEVELF'S SPOILS


.. n. smithsoniAn's star d Buried n
Wsrk-II.8oI Specimens n An-COl'
lection wont Ne Ready f0F Exhlbl-
uan fSr q IeAr-Soientlno Reuults
W,sHrNGroN, May THE scisntists Of
a. National Museum Of the Smithsonian
I..,i,stion are buried in work heapsd
aDon them by Col. Roosevelt and other
.,.mlars Of his African expedition.
V,urabsts. faunal experts. taxider-
ns,s and even the janitOrs are working
overtime trying TO bring some order out
n ths deluge of African specimens that
IA. been flowing in upon the institution
ne museum already has sent out a call
Ior hrlp in the form Of advertisements
t,r taNidermists. Not moro than half
n the specimens have yet arrived.
According 20 officials Of the museum
Noah himself couldn't have gone 70 Africa
and Got a batter collection. An told tho
Roosevelt party has gathered II. .so7 speci-
mons Tor the institution. Of theaS t,so7
arr mammals ranging In sine frOm ele-
phan,s 70 miCe. There are A.OOO birds in
the collection. 1000 reptiles and batTach-
lsns and 500 fish. not 10 mention marine
and ircsh water sheIls. crabs. beetles.
n,illpeda. plants and few human skulls
naked up along the old slave trails.
col. Roosevelt himself II said 70
have hlgged rhinoceroess. Q elephants,
lions several giFARes. 4 Sildebeests.
/ Thompsons gassIle. 4 hippOpotami.
a buHaloes. 5 tOpi. Z Glands. besides a
python. an ostrich. q leopard. a hart
best. bohor. an impaIla. a waterbuck.
A rebri. an oryx. bushbuck. an orihl
and kob.
The Roosevelt specimens when the an
tire collection finally lands AZ the Smith
snnian Institution and is put into Rhaps
will he mounted in a room by themselves
A visit TO this room will be tho next beat
thing % a trip 20 the African iungles
There will hs mounted elephants. rhi-
nccernses. hippopotami. lions and in
Vulnerable other beasts. all bearing the
srars of bullets fired from the COlOnel's
rife or the firearms Of other msmbers
oi bis PARTY.
lI Will A1WNNNIB " AnNNg aAeAI n NNMN
before the museum authorities are able
a. present to the curious eyes Of visitors
the trophies Of the expedition. In the
rnsantms they will have 20 do a lot Of
explaining. for already the museum has
Jumped 10 tho front a. an object Of interest
20 the visitors in Washington. and the
museum authorities are being besiegOd by
curious tourists.
About the first thing that The average
visitor 10 Washington inquiries for nov
after he has seen the dome Of the Capitol
and Washington Monument and possibly
the White House II tho Smithsonian
Institution and the Roosevelt collection.
The specimens in the National Museum
have been inspected by moro visitors
his spring than ever before. for Whsn
tho tourists find out that the Roosevelt
collection is not yet on view they turn
o, other stuffed animals and ~ 70 console
themselves for their disappointment by
imagining What the latter would look
ike II plugged full Of Roosevelt bullets.
The scientists and workers Of the insti-
iution have hssn Engaged thus far In un-
packing tho apScimSns, most Of which
runs pickled in salt, and in getting them
-eidy for mounting. A room In which
tie boxes from Africa are bsinG unpaoksd
lnoks prstty much like busy corner in q
Slaughter house.
As the spcoimens are unpackod those Of
special interest arO taken up for study by
tho scisntists Of the institution. The speci-
neus have all bssn labelled and tagged
by tho Geld naturalists who arc with the
Roosevelt party. 20 that there is a min
unum Of confusion at this end Up 70
this time the scientists have devoted tham-
selves chiefly to a study Of the skulls Of