THE CARAVAN OR "SAFARI" 



even for two months and a half or more with such an 

 outfit. 



On my first expedition to East Africa I engaged a great 

 many more men than most hunters need. At times I had 

 over one hundred porters in my caravan, and on one of our 

 trips the number rose to one hundred and seventeen. The 

 reason for this was that I was collecting specimens for the 

 American Museum of Natural History in New York City. 

 When I informed the director of the museum of my in- 

 tention to go out to Africa on a hunting trip, and that I 

 was also willing to use the opportunity to enrich the col- 

 lection of the museum, he volunteered to give me letters 

 of introduction to British officials to secure special permits 

 for me in the field. He also gave me one of the best pre- 

 parators of the institution, Mr. Herbert Lang, who acted 

 as our official photographer and taxidermist, and to whose 

 faithfulness, skill, and untiring efforts much of the success 

 of the expedition was due. The museum further supplied 

 most of the curing materials, special skinning knives and 

 other things needed for the work in the field. When a 

 scientific expedition goes out into the jungle to collect 

 specimens for preservation in museums, it needs a great 

 deal more curing material, special drying boxes for bird 

 skins, traps for smaller mammals, etc. 



Then, again, the scientist, when he secures an animal, 

 not only takes off the head and the skin of head and neck 

 for trophies, as the mere sportsman generally does, but 

 has to conserve the whole skin of the beast. But not only 

 that, in a great many cases he also desires to bring home the 

 leg bones, as well as the ribs and sometimes the whole 

 chest, without cutting the ribs apart, and all the rest of the 



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