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Field  Columbian  Museum — Reports,  Vol.  i. 
Exchanges. — Since  the  date  of  the  last  report  the  Museum  has 
issued  two  exchange  catalogues,  one  being  a  list  of  duplicate  material 
on  hand  for  exchange  and  the  other  a  list  of  duplicate  books  and 
pamphlets.  These  catalogues  have  been  mailed  to  a  great  many 
individuals  and  to  all  contemporaneous  institutions  with  a  request 
that  they  be  examined  with  a  view  to  effecting  an  exchange  of  speci- 
mens and  literature.  The  results  have  justified  the  undertaking.  A 
number  of  profitable  exchanges  have  been  completed  and  corre- 
spondence has  been  opened  that  is  sure  to  lead  to  very  good  results. 
About  fifty  exchanges  have  been  made,  and  probably  as  many  more 
propositions  are  under  consideration. 
Expedition  and  Field  Work. — At  the  date  of  the  last  report  the 
African  expedition  was  in  the  field.  Mr.  Elliot,  the  chief  of  the 
expedition,  has  already  provided  a  detailed  account  of  this  expedi- 
tion, but  a  brief  resume  seems  to  be  required  in  this  report.  The 
expedition  had  intended  to  enter  Mashonaland  from  the  Port  of 
Veira,  but  information  received  that  the  invasion  of  settlers  and 
the  large  number  of  hunting  parties  had  reduced  the  number  of 
wild  animals  and  driven  them,  in  a  large  measure,  from  their  haunts, 
together  with  the  possibility  of  trouble  with  the  natives,  especially 
the  Mashonas,  induced  the  abandonment  of  this  route  and  turned 
attention  to  a  section  of  country  around  Mount  Kilimanjaro  and  the 
country  of  the  Massai,  the  home  of  the  elephant,  the  rhinoceros,  etc. 
It  appeared,  however,  upon  investigation  that  this  country  was  very 
much  disturbed  by  tribal  rebellions,  and  that  the  opportunities  for 
obtaining  large  game  was  lessened  by  the  prevalence  of  the  rinder- 
pest, which  scourge  had  attacked  the  Massai  cattle,  buffalo,  antelope, 
etc.  The  extinction  of  so  many  species  of  wild  animals  by  disease, 
to  say  nothing  of  the  possibility  of  a  conflict  with  the  natives,  resulted 
in  the  abandonment  of  this  route  and  the  selection  of  Somali-Land 
and  the  country  adjacent  to  it.  Mr.  E.  Dodson,  who  had  just 
returned  with  Mr.  Donaldson  Smith  from  Lake  Rudolph,  was  added 
to  the  party,  and  on  March  27,  1896,  passage  was  taken  for  Aden, 
which  port  was  reached  April  13th.  Preparations  for  the  continuation 
of  the  trip  were  actively  commenced,  provisions  were  obtained  for 
the  men,  goods  for  trading  with  natives,  and  the  numerous  articles 
necessary  for  the  outfit  of  a  large  expedition.  Horses  and  mules  were 
also  purchased  at  this  port.  April  20th  the  party  sailed  for  Berbera, 
on  the  south  coast  of  the  Gulf  of  Aden,  whither  the  outfit  purchased 
in  London  had  already  been  dispatched.  Having  purchased  a  num- 
ber of  camels  sufficient  for  a  short  trip,  the  expedition  took  march  in 
search  of  wild  asses.     After  ten  days  spent  in  collecting  asses  and 
