Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1911-12-19
THROUGH Africa
EXPEDITION
Childs Prick Abyssinian Party
Will Visit Same Region
as Mr.. Roosevelt.

WASHINGTON. Dec, - Lieut.
Col. Edgar A. Mearns. U. s. A.. re-
tired, associate zoologist OF the United
States National Museum, who accom-
panied the Smithsonian expedition tol
Africa, under the direction of Theo-
dore Roosevelt will be attached as
naturalist to the Childs Frick Abyss
sinian expedition, which shortly sails
from London to make natural history
collections In the Abyssinan region.
The party will consist of Childs
Frick. son of Henry G. Frick; Mr..
Blick, a close friend of the former.
and DIR. Mearns. II Is the plan OF the
organizer to make as complete coll
lection of the animals of the Abyssin-
ian region as possible. The birds Will
be prepared by DR. Mearns for the Ma
tional Museum, where they will be
studied and reported on: the other
animals. including big game. will be
prepared by Messrs Frick and Blick.
both of whom have taken preliminary
lessons In taxidermy and field prepar-
alton in order to qualify themselves
as field taxidermists.
The country to be travsrsed and en-
plored by this party IL one of the
widest parts of Africa, and II will he
necessary for the explorers to have
many native guides and soldiers to in
sure the progress of their expedition.
Food Is scarce In that region of At
rlca and the route laid out Is beset by
many other hardships.
The trip will be primarily through
IAbyssinia, but will extend into British
East Africa as well, and cover por-
ton of that country north of the field
gone over by Mr.. Roosevelt in l9O9-Io.
one of the most important regions TO
be visited IL In the neighborhood OF
| Lake Rudolf and along the shores Of
the lake itself.
This region has been but little ex-
plored and In fact was only discovered
In the year 1883 by Count Teleki. II
consists of as wild n country as could
be desired by the most intrepid ex-
plorers. The Hamatic people, n branch
of the great red family. dwell there.
They are intelligent but uncIvilized.
Several different tribes probably will
he encountered-the Somali, Calais,
and Boranna. One of the most recent
expeditions into this country was that
OF A. Donaldson Smith, who made an
excellent collection of the fauna for
the British Museum In 1897.
Since II Is practically necessary to
pave ones way through this country
by gifts. and more can be accom-
pllshed by barter than by actual cash
transactions, a good sized pack train
win he required to transport the per-
sonal effects, outfits and articles fol
trade with the natives. It has beer
remarked by an early explorer of this
region that cheap American cottor
cloth. wire, mirrors, trinkets and thu
like are of inestimable value, and thai
an empty sauce bottle goes farther II
a bargain than ten good American
dollars In gold, such objects as a me-
dunn sized bottle being particular!
desirable by the natives as ornament
for their ears
The expedition will begin actua
work about Dec. I, and 1t IL expected
thatsits operations win cover perio'
of approximately seven months. Their
il no question that with even moder
ate success, the national collections
will be enriched by valuable speci
mems.
DIR. Mearns recently sailed from
New York on the Mauritania for Lon
don. From there the party will go T.
Alden, Arabia, on the Gulf of Alden
where they win outfit, They win thel
cross the Gulf of Alden and plunge di
rectly into the wilderness.