150 



THE AMERICAX MCSKUM JOURXAL 



McCiitcheon's In Africa 

 Bolibs-MerriU Company 



Improving each shining hour 



its area of distribution, and that "the 

 distril)ution of each species marks the 

 limits within which it is able successfully 

 to compete with its environment. It 

 would appear therefore a comparatively 

 easy matter to determine the factors 

 which are accountable for the distribu- 

 tion of any species; and yet no task in 

 natural history is more difficult. .. .The 

 distribution of one species may depend 

 upon the distril)ution of its food plants 

 or animals, of another upon its natural 

 enemies, of another upon climatic condi- 

 tions; while yet others may be limited 

 in (listril)ution by natural boundaries 

 such as lar^e bodies of water or hiiih 

 mountains." 



Later, the authors mention the physi- 

 cal obstacle imposed by the Tana River, 

 which "acts as a barrier across the desert 

 portion of the coast slope from Mount 

 Kenia eastward to the sea," separating 

 the ranges of a dozen game animals, 



including zebras, gi- 

 raffes, oryx, harte- 

 beests, gazelles, an- 

 telopes and wart hogs. 

 One's surprise at the 

 effectiveness of a river 

 barrier is relieved by 

 the remark that "the 

 a^•ersion which most 

 antelopes hnvv for 

 crossing ri\ers is due 

 no doubt chiefly to the 

 fear of attack by 

 the crocodiles which 

 haunt the streams." 



Throughout the 

 work the animals are 

 discussed with refer- 

 ence to their environ- 

 ment — the features 

 imposed by geogra- 

 phy, vegetation and 

 climate being kept 

 constantly in mind. 

 We are told that the mammals of equa- 

 torial Africa, unlike those of northern 

 regions, "have no definite season for 

 shedding their coats, nor are they sub- 

 ject to any seasonal climatic change 

 which would necessitate such a change." 

 And further, that there seems to be no 

 definite breeding season in East Africa, 

 there being " no climatic necessity for 

 such a habit." 



Roosevelt's writings on North Ameri- 

 can game animals ha\'e pro\'ed him an 

 unusually keen and accurate observer, 

 eager to learn just what the animals are 

 doing, and certain to record what he has 

 seen while it is still fresh in mind. Hence 

 it is not surprising that his accounts of 

 hunting strange beasts in a new field, as 

 told in his Afr'tcdu Game Trails and 

 Life Ili.sforics of African Game ^l)ti)nah\ 

 should abound in detailed observations, 

 often enlivened with spirited scenes and 

 thrillintr incidents. 



