328 THE ODYSSEY OF AN ANIMAL COLLECTOR 
eighty-five crates of all shapes and sizes containing Tamandua 
Ant-eaters, tapirs, agoutis, pacas, sloths, porcupines, tayras, opos- 
sums, ocelots, Margay Cats and various monkeys, etc., and a large 
variety of birds from the Harpy Eagle, toucans, aracaries down to 
humming-birds, and also reptiles and fish. It took six lorries to 
transport these to the docks, the full cost of this, and of the freight 
to England, being borne by Messrs. Booker Bros., the shipping 
company—a truly magnificent gesture on their part. 
To cater single-handed for all the requirements of such a mixed 
bag, some sort of orderly procedure is essential, otherwise the 
whole business becomes mental and physical torture if one has any 
sense of responsibility for the welfare of captive animals. But the 
transference of such a consignment to the deck of a small ship 
inevitably means disorganization. There is no such thing as ar- 
ranging the crates of certain groups of animals with similar feed- 
ing-habits together; they must be put where they fit, in between 
winches, masts, hatches, ventilation funnels, and all the other 
things that are necessary for the functioning of the ship. Then 
there is the problem of food, for every inch of storage space 
aboard is designed for some specific purpose, so that there is 
no provision for storing food for livestock unless it be in the hold, 
which is most inconvenient. Frequently it is all dumped on deck 
and one has to pray for fine weather. Even the business of pre- 
paring all the food can be a nightmare if this has to be done on 
deck in a howling wind or in a rainstorm. 
The actual shipping of a large collection of delicate creatures, 
some of which require constant attention, is in itself an exhausting 
business, and matters are made infinitely easier if the first few 
days of the voyage are fine and calm so as to give one a chance to 
recover and get things organized. 
No such blessing was forthcoming when I left Georgetown on 
the small steamer Enzd. For the first few days there was torrential 
rain, with the vessel rolling at such an angle that it became an 
effort to remain upright, and a bucket of food placed on the deck 
immediately rolled over and careered into the scuppers, scattering 
its contents over the water-washed decks. Under such circum- 
stances a lot of gritting of the teeth was necessary to see things 
