ALL SORTS AND CONDITIONS 109 



he afterwards presented to some museum. After 

 this he does not seem to have indulged in further 

 collecting, beyond superintending the work of his 

 naturalists in the course of his big expedition to Africa. 



As a matter of fact, his knowledge of American 

 and African birds was very considerable, for he 

 was so thorough in all he did, that when undertaking 

 any new project, his method was to thoroughly 

 study the literature of the subject, and this, com- 

 bined with his marvellous memory, enabled him 

 to begin his work better equipped than most men. 



We have heard much of Roosevelt the talker 

 and Roosevelt the politician, teaching all and sundry 

 their business with equal confidence, but I think 

 his greatest asset was hard work and a superb 

 memory. He took trouble to make himself agree- 

 able and well-informed, and seemed to know as much 

 about other people's tastes and family history as 

 they did themselves. I remember the first time 

 I met him, at a luncheon party at Lord Lonsdale's 

 in 1908. He spoke in turn to nearly every man 

 there, and was cognisant of all their past history 

 and activities, because I feel sure he had read it 

 all beforehand. I suppose I was the only man he 

 had not addressed, and just as all were leaving he 

 came up to me and said, " I seem to know your 

 face. Who are you?' : " Millais is my name," I 

 replied. " What ! Breath from the Veldt Millais ? " 

 he said enthusiastically. " You've just got to sit 

 down right here and have a chat. I don't know 

 when I have been so pleased to meet any one." 1 



1 Next morning he wrote me a charming letter : " You 

 were one of the men I came to England to see, and I should 

 have been so distressed had I missed you yesterday." 



