ZOOIXXaCAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



white settler who liad two that woukl draw a 

 light plough. 



"Near tiie hill of Uonaysapiik, at tiie edge oi 

 the Atlii Plains, there is a small herd of roan 

 antelope that has been thoroughly protected, 

 and although there has been much shooting in 

 the neigiiboriiood — and they are naturally 

 among the most timid of animals — they seem to 

 know that they are exempt, for, apparently, 

 thej' have little fear of man. I have never heard 

 of any attempt in Africa to domesticate the buf- 

 falo, but I remember at Kampala there was a 

 young cow buffalo that had joined a herd of 

 cattle and went into the kraal with them at 

 night. That nothing practical can be made of 

 the zebra is most strange; tliey arc immune from 

 the fly and from many diseases that inflict both 

 mules and horses, and although they scamper 

 and run in the roughest and most stony places, 

 seldom is one found whose hoofs are not in the 

 finest condition. They have been trained both 

 to harness and saddle, but they break down 

 very easily and have no spirit, so, at least, I 

 was told by a man who made the experiment. 



"The time when I longed for a camera was 

 paralleled by one case where I did not have my 

 rifle ; mj' gunbearer was with me with only a 

 shot gun. There were some guinea-fowl in the 

 bushes near camp and I was gunning for the 

 evening meal. We had not gone far; in fact, 

 we were close enough to hear the voices of the 

 boys who were bringing in firewood. Suddenly 

 I looked up astonished ; there about sixty yards 

 off stood that most desired of all trophies — a 

 fine male kudu, the tips of his spiral horns 

 shining like ivory. Prom force of habit John, 

 the gunbearer, thrust the shotgun into my hands. 

 He might as well have given me a pea-shooter. 

 That magnificent head fascinated me. I could 

 not take my eyes off it. For fully twenty sec- 

 onds that kudu and I stood looking at each other, 

 then with a snort and a bound he was off, and 

 I never saw him nor his like again. It was one 

 of the chance encounters in wliicii 'the land of 

 footprints' abounds : 



"And now a bit of advice — go to British Ivist 

 Africa. Take a good camera with you and learn 

 liow to use it. It is more productive of pleasure 

 in after years than anything else. With regard 

 to cameras, they, too, like rifles, are a great deal 

 a matter of taste. A good lens is, of course, a 

 .v;»(' qua non. If moving pictures are the objec- 

 ti\e, one thing is necessary, take plenty of film, 

 for it is imjjossible to get it out there, 



"In jiicking a gunbearer get one wjio has gone 

 out with a real sportsman and not the average 

 armed tourist. Imjiress ii))on him exactly what 

 vou want liini to do and have done, and keep 



him up to the mark. Don't fail to get a good 

 fundi or skinner; many trophies are lost through 

 careless work. So far as the safari goes, try 

 to get interested in your men and get them in- 

 terested in you. Things will work twice as 

 easily. In choosing a headman, find somebody 

 with whom he has served, if it is possible, and 

 discuss his points. In taking a white hunter, 

 if you have to take one, ask all the questions 

 about him that you can, and see as much as you 

 can of him yourself before you start. No mat- 

 ter what happens, keep your temper in Africa. 

 Somebody has spoken of the country as the 

 grave of reputations'; there is not the least 

 doubt of it. Many have failed here who have 

 succeeded elsewhere. But it is a mausoleum of 

 sweet dispositions, 



"In all this I am speaking of the high pla- 

 teaus, of the country of grass and hill and sun- 

 shine, and of this I have only one more thing 

 to say: Go there if you get the chance; you'll 

 never regret it. From the country of the sick- 

 ness, of the fly, of the dirt and disease, of the 

 dank solitudes, choking downpours and starva- 

 tion, keep away. As the Scribe remarked in 

 the preface, and the photographer will back him 

 up, 'We are very glad we went, but there are 

 certain portions of the journey that we would 

 not care to do again, 



"And referring to that 'call' ag.iin. the .au- 

 thor writes: Only the other day I felt the call! 

 I would have given something for the sight of 

 the wide stretch of the grey-green plains dotted 

 with thorn trees, the warmth of the spreading 

 sunshine, and the gleaming pinnacle of Kenia 

 rising above the belt of white clouds ! Then, 

 again, I thought of the gloom of the forest, of 

 the cold, damp mornings, and of the prospect 

 of the long trudge through the muddy ooze; of 

 the many painful sights and the sickening vil- 

 lages; and I was glad to be back safe with it all 

 behind me. Experience is something that one 

 can only buv with experience!" 



REt'EPTIONS. 



The annual Aquarium reception to the mem- 

 bers of the Society will be held Monday, May 

 3, 1915, at 8:30 o'clock 1'. M., in the .\(iuariuni 

 Building, Battery Park. 



.\t the Zoological P/irk, the Ladies' Auxiliary 

 will hold their animal garden party on Thurs- 

 day, May 13, 1915, at 3 o'clock P. M., and on 

 Tliursday. June 3, 1915, at 3 o'clock P. M.. 

 there will be a reeejjfion for the members of 

 the Soeietv. 



