upon the difficulties of the expedition as follows: "For several 

 weeks, while I realized that the funds were melting away 

 twice as fast as anticipated and prospects were uncertain, 

 I often regretted having undertaken the trip. My state of 

 mind caused by the uncertain conditions has made it im- 

 possible to decide anything in regard to future movements. 

 Now that we are well under way, have had splendid success 

 for the three weeks here with every prospect of a continua- 

 tion of the good work, I make this recommendation (for 

 funds) unhesitatingly and in full confidence that the returns 

 will more than justify the expenditure. 



"Mr. Shaw-Kennedy has been as greatly disappointed 

 with the necessity of heavy expenses as I, but he is "game" 

 and will see the trip through to the end and I feel that the 

 least we can do is to keep our end up. 



"In material the country is rich far beyond my fondest 

 hopes and our working force is efficient." 



In Akeley's own words, the expedition proved to be "a 

 good return for the money invested." This "good return" 

 totalled, in 12 months of active field work, over 17 tons of 

 natural history material. This included 400 mammal skins 

 ranging in size from that of a rabbit to that of an elephant, 

 about 1200 small mammal skins, 800 bird skins and a "fair 

 number" of mammal and bird skeletons. Collection of 

 large mammal skins included material for groups of about 

 20 species of antelopes; a buflfalo group of six; a fine series 

 of eight lions; two large male elephants, complete; one rhi- 

 noceros; one hippopotamus. There were also about 1000 

 photographic negatives as well as other studies of collected 

 material, such as plaster casts, measurements, leaves, etc. 

 The two elephants included in this listing are those now on 



display in Stanley Field Hall. One was shot by Akeley on 

 July 27, 1906 in the Aberdare Mountains and the other was 

 shot by Mrs. Akeley on August 31, 1906 on Mt. Kenya. 



In describing the elephant hunt, Akeley wrote, "The 

 trans-Tana trip had been indefinitely postponed on account 

 of trouble with the natives at the base of Mt. Kenya, where 

 the government had sent troops that were at this time, 

 July 10th, engaged in warfare, but as it seemed likely that 

 the trouble was nearing the end, the services of Mr. R. J. 

 Cunningham, professional hunter and safari runner, were 

 secured, and we headed for Fort Hall and the Tana River, 

 with the intention of looking for Elephants on the way; 

 three weeks were spent on the Aberdare Mountains, during 

 which time we prepared the skin of one Elephant, a series 

 of Duiker, and a number of other specimens. . . . the edge 

 of the forest at the base of Mt. Kenya was reached, and here 

 work with the Elephants was begun. The five weeks spent 

 among the Elephants was eminently satisfactory in point of 

 experience, and knowledge gained of the habits of these in- 

 teresting animals, but disappointing in that we failed, for 

 want of time, in securing all the specimens required for the 

 group. The return from Mt. Kenya to the Tana River was 

 distressingly slow and tedious, owing to the difficulties en- 

 countered in securing porters to move the material, but the 

 Tana was finally reached on October 2nd, and a few days 

 later we proceeded down the river in search of BufTalo. 

 . . . The three months in trans-Tana country were months 

 of hard work and bitter disappointments, but results, on the 

 whole, were satisfactory, in that the material obtained was 

 eminently desirable, and difficult to secure. We returned 

 to Fort Hall on November 22nd, and with 175 porters pro- 



The Wakikuku people gathered at a joint camp of the 

 Governor of British East Africa, Sir James Hayes-Saddler, 

 and the members of the Field Museum Expedition, in 

 Trans-Tana Province. 



I 



-v 



'it. *-|i.:r*- 





The expedition coming down from Mount Kenya, where 

 one of the elephants was shot. 



JANUARY Page 3 



