10 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1910. 



somewhat more extended than in previous years. Were ample funds 

 available to be administered under the Smithsonian Institution, the 

 scientific work of the Government might often be supplemented by 

 original researches of a character that could hardly be undertaken by 

 the Government, and which would be of great service to humanity and 

 to science. 



Besides operations undertaken by the Institution itself, important 

 biological, ethnological, and astrophysical researches have been car- 

 ried on under its direction through the National Museum, the Bureau 

 of American Ethnology, and the Astrophysical Observatory, which 

 are discussed elsewhere in this report. 



SMITHSONIAN AFRICAN EXPEDITION. 



In my last report there was given an account of the setting out of the 

 expedition to Africa in charge of Col. Theodore Roosevelt and of the 

 results accomplished prior to June 30, 1909. This expedition, which 

 was entirely financed from private sources through contributions by 

 friends of the Smithsonian Institution, landed at Mombasa on April 

 21, 1909, and arrived at Khartoum on March 14, 1910. The collec- 

 tions made by it reached Washington in excellent condition and are 

 now deposited in the National Museum. The series of large and 

 small mammals from East Africa is, collectively, probably more 

 valuable than is to be found in any other museum of the world. The 

 series of birds, reptiles, and plants are also of great importance, and 

 the study of the material representing other groups will furnish 

 interesting results. 



Colonel Roosevelt's report on the work of the expedition is as 

 follows : 



Khartoum, March 15, 1910. 



Sir : I have the honor to report that the Smithsonian African expedition, 

 which was intrusted to my charge, has now completed its work. Full reports 

 will he made later by the three naturalists, Messrs. Mearns, Heller, and Loring. 

 I send this preliminary statement to summarize what has been done; the figures 

 given are substantially accurate, but they may have to be changed slightly in 

 the final reports. 



We landed in Mombasa on April 21, 1909, and reached Khartoum on March 14, 

 1910. On landing, we were joined by Messrs. R. J. Cuninghame and Leslie J. 

 Tarlton; the former wns with us throughout our entire trip, the latter until we 

 left East Africa, and both worked as zealously and efficiently for the success of 

 the expedition as any other member thereof. 



We spent eight months in British East Africa. We collected carefully in 

 various portions of the Athi and Kapiti plains, in the Sotik and around Lake 

 Naivasha. Messrs. Mearns and Loring made a thorough biological survey of 

 Mount Kenia, while the rest of the party skirted its western base, went to and up 

 the Guaso Nyero and later visited the Uasin Gisbu region and both sides of the 

 Rift Valley. Messrs. Kermit Roosevelt and Tarlton went to the Leikipia 

 Plateau and Lake Hannington, and Doctor Mearns and Kermit Roosevelt made 



