-* The Tragedy of Civilisation 



all those who have influence in the matter to save and 

 maintain what can still be saved. 



By this I mean, not merely the maintenance so far as 

 is possible of the present state of things, but also the 

 getting together of an immediate and comprehensive col- 

 lection of specimens ot all the different species for our 

 museums. 7~o-day there is still time in the case of many 

 species. In a few years it iuil/ be too late. 



I could bring torward the names of many men, famous 

 in the world of geography and natural history, such as 

 those of von Richthofen, Schweinfurth, Ludwig Heck, 

 Paul Matschie, Wilhelm Bolsche, and Professor Lampert, 

 who agree with me on this point. 



It is a regrettable fact that we Germans know very 

 little of the animal life of our colonial possessions. 



By means of comprehensive collections of large series 

 of skins, skulls, skeletons, etc., I myself have done some- 

 thing towards providing our museums with zoological 

 specimens, many of which were hitherto unfamiliar. As 

 I had to do this out of my private means, and without 

 any help from the State, this meant very considerable 

 personal sacrifices. 



I maintained rigorously the principle ot keeping my 

 caravan (in which I had never less than 130 men) upon 

 a vegetable diet for the most part, allowing them meat 

 only to a very small extent, and then merely as an 

 adjunct to their meals. In the famine year of 1^99 my 

 provisions cost me more than 20,000 marks, which 

 might have been brought down to a trifling sum had I 



O O "^ 



taken heavier toll of the game, as the natives were 



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