The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1910-11-24

/ -Ano tSeceptaOn Continued Last
| Night and This Morning.
/ (The Washington Times.)
Colonel Theodore Roosevelt was
| given great reception Friday after
noon at the union depot when he
made his first trip here since he was
/ President. Not only many distin-
/ guished people but also a large popu-
lar gathering greeted him and he was
hearty and enthusiastic in his greet
/ ing to every one.
| he was given great ovation at
/ Convention Hall on Thursday night
when he delivered his lecture on At
/ rica.
The great hall holds over 5000
! people and there were thousands out
side who could not get in.
He had a most strenuous twelve
hours to-day.
| Colonel Theodore Roosevelt lived
over again to-day his experiences in
the heart of Africa and on the Afri-
can game trails.
| =
went to the United States National
Museum and there spent an hour or
more inspecting the collections made
by the Smithsonian African expedi-
| tion of 1909 and 1910. He was ac-
companied by DR.. G. Hart Merriam,
head of the Biological Survey, the
man who first suggested to Colonel
/ = G~sA
trip. With him in making the rounds
| of the museum, and seeing the feat
ures of the collection, too, was Ed
mund Heller, one of the naturalists
who was along with the expedition,
and who is a warm personal friend
of the Colonel, and also Col. z. A.
Mearns, who, like Mr.. Heller, was a
expedition.
Like q Reunion.
Forgetting for the time the toll
and moil of the late campaign and
all the attacks that have been made
upon him by his enemies, the Colonel
entered into his visit to the National
1t was with him like unto a re-
union with old friends. He saw there
such old colleagues of the Dark Con-
tinent as the bongo, the gnu, the ga
zelle, the giraffe, the lioR, the hippo,
and the rhino, the gemsbok, and the
waterbok, and what not among the
members of the African faunal tribe.
| Likewise, he saw the magnificent
ornithological collection which the
expedition secured in Africa, and
with the enthusiasm of one trained in
bird lore he told stories of the weav-
er birds, the ibises, the storks, the
ostriches, and countless species that
have been secured for the Govern
ment exhibit.
Many His Own.
Many of the specimens, especially
of big game, the Colonel had himself
shot, or Kermit had shot, or he was
! able to recall under what circum-
stances they had been shot by other
members of the party. He recount
ed numberless anecdotes with rela-
/
collection of African birds, which is
said to be the finest in the world, he
told of having shot several of the
specimens on the wing.
In the collection of big game ami
mails, he was especially interested in
seeing the heads and skins of the
bongo, the giraffes, the hippos, the
rhinos, the elephants, and the ante
lope. With Dr. Merriam and the sci
entists he talked about the various
animals, their characteristics. and
their habits with the eagerness OF a
born hunter, and with the accuracy
of a man trained in scienticfic knowl-
edge of such matters.
Lectured From Ladder.
| On arriving at the National Mu-
scum, the Colonel, before he had
hardly set foot into the building, got
into an animated but good-natured
argument with DR.. Merriam on the
subject of protective coloration in
animals. Recently Abbott Ell. Thayer
has been here and has been giving
voice to his views on protective colo
ration in which he is great believer.
Colonel Roosevelt doesn't think
much of the business OF protective
coloration. He doubts IL Nature has
been embarking In the protective col
oring scheme to any great extent. He