APPENDIX v.— HINTS TO SPORTSMEN 503 



Presents. 

 Fo7- Native Chiefs and others. 



Rifles, pistols, swords, field-glasses, watches, clocks, umbrellas, bur- 

 nouses, felt-hats, coloured and plain cotton sheeting, coloured silk, hand- 

 kerchiefs, scissors, scent, pomatum highly perfumed, soap, matches,candles, 

 pencils, beads. 



From 200 to 300 cartridges should be given with any firearm, which 

 is equally appreciated whether new or not, so long as in good order. 



In any case, for the governors of provinces and large districts presents 

 must be taken ; for all others money will do, but I found they much 

 appreciated some small article at the same time. 



Drinks for Abyssinian guests are indispensable ; I found absinthe and 

 rum were the most appreciated. These can be got at the capital, and if 

 served with discrimination and in small quantities, eight bottles of each 

 will be enough. 



10. Care of Skins and Heads. 



Skins. — Should the sportsman intend to bring home the skins of the 

 game he slays, especially entire ones of the larger animals, he must make 

 up his mind to personally watch over them from the moment the beast 

 falls till they reach the hands of the taxidermist. Of course this entails a 

 considerable amount of trouble, but to my mind the satisfaction of owning 

 a well-mounted beast or head, of which you know that the skull belongs to 

 the skin, is well worth it, and so is the habit of keeping a record of every 

 beast slain, as this enables you at any future time to refer in a moment to 

 every detail of its stalk and death. It is of special importance to mark the 

 skull and skin of each animal with the same mark, so that they can easily 

 be identified by the zoologist, odd skins and skulls being of no so?-t of use 

 fo7- purposes of zoological research. 



As soon as a beast falls — if I have time — I take its height in a straight 

 line from a stick thrust vertically into the ground at the shoulder to the 

 heel of the forefoot, girth behind forelegs, length taken along curves from 

 muzzle to a line drawn across the front edge of horns (or of ears in the case 

 of hornless animals), from root of tail to end of tail, distance between tips 

 of horns ; lastly, its weight as it lies, if it does not exceed 200 lbs. ; if 

 heavier, then cut up and have the portions weighed. These particulars, 

 with the sex, place, date, and the further measurements of horns taken 

 after they are removed from the skull, together with any special notes, such 

 as elevation, are all entered in a book kept for the purpose, each animal as 

 it is killed is numbered consecutively, irrespective of its kind, and receives 



