NO. 2 SMITHSONIAX EXPLORATIONS, I918 33 



my crewmen not more than 200 }ards away on the opposite side 

 from me and a native village in plain view 500 yards away at an 

 angle of about 30° from the crewmen's village. I have never before 

 seen so many chimpanzees as I find here and I have never seen them 

 so indifferent to the presence of human beings. Even while I was 

 building and had as many as 18 or 20 natives moving about the place 

 those reckless apes would often cross the open plain in full view and 

 with apparent composure. 



" Air. Aschemeier has collected well on to 2,000 specimens and 

 nearly all of them he has killed with his own gun. Some of 

 these specimens are exceedingly rare and valuable. When you recall 

 the fact that he came as taxidermist of the expedition and not as 

 cJiasseitr, he was not expected to provide the specimens that he was 

 to preserve. 



" We have forwarded six consignments of specimens to the AIu- 

 seum and have a seventh well on the way ; but we find great difficulty 

 in getting the steamers to take them from Port Gentil (Cap Lopez), 

 because they are all under direction of the French military authorities. 

 Two of our last shipments were still at Port Gentil last month, where 

 one of them has been lying since last January and all steamers 

 declined to take it. ( )nce both shipments were taken aboard the 

 steamer and bill of lading signed when the captain changed his mind 

 and sent the whole lot back on shore, with the accumulated charges 

 of 40 francs for embarkation and debarkation. 



" W'e have sent 12 or 13 specimens of buffalo, several specimens 

 and species of antelope and two or three fine specimens of the " red 

 river hog." besides a large collection of monkeys, re])resenting six 

 or seven species of both sexes and various ages. I think in all we 

 have sent over 1,500 up to this time. Df course this includes birds, 

 etc.. not insects, and we have on hand a goodly numljcr. 



■■ ^'esterday I l)ought a fine, fresh skin of a thing the natives call 

 aniiita. It is something very much like the civet cat in its general 

 ajjijearance. Inn it is not of the ordinary t}])e. 1 have never examined 

 one, but I think tlicy arc more canine tlian feline and the natives 

 regard them as such. At any rate, it is a tine s])ecimen and I am 

 taking great care to ciu'c it in the best manner ])ossil)le. 



" 1 will call \our attenlion to a singular fact about the monkeys 

 and e^])eciall\- of the mangabe\s of this region. I here ap])ears to be 

 ])revalenl among them some kind ol disease resembling cancer, and 

 it is not at all nmi>ual to sec one witli bis nose eaten away or some- 

 times one side of bis face, while ollierwise lu' appears acti\e and 



