Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-01
SKILLED AS HUNTER
Former President RooseveIt's
Achievements in Africa.
THOUSANDS OF SPECIMENS
Contributions of Great Value to
Smithsonian Institution.
MANY RARITIES IN THE LIST
Head Of the Party Ably Assisted.
Preparing the Articles for
Exhibition.
THOUSANDS OF SPECIMENS
MANY RARITIES IN THE LIST
BY WILLIAM 2. CURTIS

BY WILLIAM r. CURTIS.
Written for The Star and the Chicago Record
Herald
If you will open your Bible and turn
to the tenth chapter Of the Book of Cen
esis. which gives list of the descendants
of Noah, you will find the name of MINI
rod, who, it is said, began to be a
mighty one in the earth. He was a
mighty hunter before the Lord Where
fore, it is said, even as Nimrod. the
mighty hunter before the Lord
Unfortunately. we have no catalogue of
Nimrod's trophies. There was no ma
tional museum in the neighborhood of
Mount Ararat. The Smithsonian Institu-
ton did not exist in those days. Meso-
potamia was entirely without magazines
and newspapers. Therefore. we have no
means of comparison, but it is perfectly
safe to assert that. even If Nimrod was
a mighty hunter before the Lord, there
are others. Mr.. Theodore Roosevelt,
like Nimrod, the son Of Cush. began to
be mighty one in the earth long before
he went to Africa, and since he started
in pursuit Of lions, hippopotami, giraffe
and other beasts of the field and the
jungle. he has shown himself to be a
mighty hunter before the Lord, and has
| sent home more than 200 casks and bales
| of trophies and a menagerie of living
things to prove it.
Preparation for the Exhibit.
The serious work of preparing the
Roosevelt trophies for exhibition will be-
gin next week. Scientific tanners of great
skill and long experience are on their
way to Washington, and the atmosphere
around the basement of the Smithsonian
Institution will soon be redolent of pun
gent odors, such as arise from the con-
| tact of acids and other chemical agencies
| that are employed to arrest the forces
| of nature. 1t will be more than a year
before anything will be ready for exhibit
| ton.
The Roosevelt trophies will be set up
in the new museum building, which Is
nearly completed, and will doubtless be
open to the public next fall. Some of
the laboratories are already occupied.
and portions of the exhibition hall may be
open in the spring. But 1t will take at
least a year to tan and stuff the hides and
mount and install the other trophies
which have been received from Africa.
And 1t will be several years before the
work is entirely completed, because Of
the enormous number and extraordinary
value of the collection.
| Mr.. Roosevelt has already sent to the
| Smithsonian more than six thousand OBJ
jects Of interest. including the skins and
hides of the animals he has killed. hum
dreds of rare birds. reptiles. fishes. bo-
| tanical specimens. native implements,
utensils. and other chronological material
| of great scientific value and intense hui
man interest. No expedition. either pri-
| vate or public. that was ever sent out
for exploration, ever produced such re-
ever conducted on such large scale. or
enjoyed the extraordinary advantages
which Col. Roosevelt has commanded.
All Gave Assistance.
| The officials Of the British, Dutch
and Portuguese governments; the local
authorities and foreign population of
Central Africa: the native chiefs and
tribesmen; the missionaries, and every
body who has been capable Of rendering
any service to the modern Nimrod, have
done their best to contribute to its sue
cess. and never before have the jungles
and wildernesses Of Africa been beaten
| so thoroughly for game, or searched for
all forms of animate and inanimate OBJ
jects OF interest The expedition is
have been received thus far include
| whatever was collected up to the LIST of
October. Since that day the party has
been busily engaged adding to the num-
| Der, and undoubtedly the shipments that
| are already on the way, and those which
may be expected in the future, will be
| more than double in number and in
value those which have already been re-
| ceived.
The skins and hides were packed and
shipped In casks of brine. which have
not yet been opened. but will be turned
over to the tanners next week. The
skeleton Of every beast has been sent
along in another package, and already
a carload of bones have been boiled and
scraped and put in order for articulation
by the taxidermists. They will be ex-
| will be stuffed and mounted on manikins.
| in lifelike attitudes.
The invoices already received include
thirteen lions and lonesses. shot by the
| ex-President himself four giraffes Of dif-
ferent species: two black rhinoceri, which
are very rare. and dozen others OF
more common varieties: several hippo
potam and elephants; seven zebras and
hyenas. leopards. cheetahs, hartebeests,
hogs. d1k-diks and other wild beasts ga
| lore. some of which were never before
brought into this country And all these
are to be mounted for permanent exhd-
| bittOn In the new museum. There are
| also numerous cases of birds, including
several varieties hitherto unknown, and
several hundred small mammals such as
rats. rabbits. moles, mice. numerous
snakes. lizards and other examples of
crawling and creeping things which are
not attractive to look at. but have great
{ scientific value
OF Interest to Tourists.
It is interesting to conjecture how these
examples OF the animal kingdom, which
are being rapidly exterminated. will look
to future generations who will visit the
National Museum that is now approach
| ing completion. Hundreds Of thousands
Of people go to see the walking stick,
| the account books and the shoe buckles
OF George washington The field glasses
and the swords of Gen: Grant are OF in
| tense interest to every body, while a rail
| that was split by Abraham Lincoln will
attract as much attention as the Capitol
| Of the United States. Then what will fu-
| ture generations say when they stand
| in the presence OF the hippotami, the ele-
plants, the thirteen lions and the other
| wild beasts that were shot and sent home
as trophies by another ex-Presddent,
| Theodorus Africanus. the terror of ali
living things in the uncivilized world.
! There is subject for speculation with
unlimited possibilities.
JNwH