NO. 17 



SMITHSONIAN MXl'LOKATIONS, IQlT) 



47 



herbivora as he was likely to obtain, for one of the conditions 

 necessary to secure their entry into the I'nited States was that no 

 forage from Africa should be brought with the animals. He arrived 

 at Port Elizabeth, South Africa. August 31, and, returning, sailed 

 from Durban Xovember 22. 



The opportunities for securing" animals to bring back were found 

 to be in some respects less favorable than had been anticipated. 

 Business conditions generally had been disturbed l)y the war, and 

 animals were no longer being captured and held for sale to the 

 traveling" buyers for European dealers, who, it was known, would 

 now be unable to come. Most of the few animals that had been 



Fig. 46. — Herd of sable antelope brought in by the hunters. National Zoological 

 Gardens, Pretoria, South Africa. 



available were bought and taken away by a private buyer who passed 

 through the region not very long before Mr. Loring arrived. For- 

 tunately the zoological garden at Pretoria was fairly well stocked, 

 and the director was kind enough to deplete the collection some- 

 what for the benefit of his distant colleagues. Most of the animals 

 which Mr. Loring brought back were obtained there, an interest- 

 ing collection of mammals and birds being secured. Two nice 

 lots of snakes and tortoises were obtained elsewhere. There was 

 practically no loss during transportation except a koodoo which 

 broke its neck soon after being put in the shipping crate. The 

 voyage from Durban occupied forty-one days, from Xovember 22 

 to January 2, and on arrival at Boston the animals were immediately 

 transferred by express to the New York Zoological Park, where 



