-♦) The Tragedy of Civilisation 



all those who hcivc influence in the matter to save and 

 maintain what can still be saved. 



By this I mean, not merely the maintenance so far as 

 is possible of the prest^nt state ot thinj^s, l)iit also the 

 getting together of an immediate and ccjmprehensive col- 

 lection of specimens of all the different species for our 

 museums. To-dav Ihcrc is still tunc iii flic case ol many 

 species, hi a few years it 7l'iII he too late. 



I could bring forward the names of many men, famous 

 in the world of geograph)^ and natural history, such as 

 those of von Richthol(,'n. Schweinturth, Ludwig Heck, 

 Paul Matschi(', Wdlhelm Bolsche, and Professor Lami)ert, 

 who agree with me on this point. 



It is a regrettabl(' fa.ct that we Germans know very 

 little o[ the animal life ot our colonial possessions. 



Py means ot comprehensive collections ot large series 

 of skins, skulls, skeletons, etc., 1 myself have d(jne some- 

 thing towards pro\iding our museums with zoological 

 specimens, many of which were hitherto unfamiliar. As 

 I had to do this out of my private; means, and without 

 any help from the State-, this meant very considerable 

 personal sacrifice's. 



I maintained rigc^rously the principle ot keeping my 

 caravan (in which 1 hail never less than 130 nien) upon 

 a vegetable diet for the most part, allowing them meat 

 only to a v(;ry small extent, and then merely as an 

 adjunct to their meals. In the fmiine year of 1899 my 

 provisions cost me more than 20,000 marks, which 

 miafht have been brought down to a trifling sum had I 

 taken heavier toll of the game, as the natives were 



