ral history collections amounted to more than 30,000; of these a selection of nearly 12,500[1] was made, and by the permission of the Board of Trade was exhibited in the Pavillon des Amateurs in Vienna. The exhibition was open from May to October, 1880.
Of the live animals that I brought with me, I gave the caracal, the two brown eagles, and a secretary-bird to the London Zoological Society, and the rest I took to Austria. I have already mentioned that the Crown Prince Rudolph did me the honour to accept the two royal cranes. My baboon, which was remarkably tame, and a grey South African crane I sent to the town council of Prague for the public park, and I presented the dark-brown vulture, and one of the long-armed Zanzibar monkeys to the Physiocratical Society of that city.
I stayed several weeks in London, and contributed a paper to the Royal Geographical Society. Many kindnesses were shown me by various English families, and I very gratefully acknowledge the assistance I received in the transmission of my large collection to my home.
- ↑ Besides about 40 skulls, 134 pairs of antlers, and 70 anatomical or pathological curiosities, the exhibition contained 400 bird-skins, a fine group of 57 ostrich feathers, nearly 300 reptiles, 2056 insects (out of 18,000 collected and purchased), 782 mollusks, 933 of the lower orders of marine animals, 3328 dried plants, 1138 fossils, and 720 minerals. The number of small animals would have been larger, but many were spoilt by the bad quality of the spirits of wine. The insects for the most part were pinned out and arranged by Dr. Nickerle, of Prague. Except sixty-four, which were given me, I collected the 3328 plants myself; I also found the 1138 fossils, except about sixty, which were given to me by Dr. Reed in Colesberg, Mr. Murray in Kuilfontein, Mr. Kidger in Cradock, and Mr. Cook in Port Elizabeth. There were 365 sponges from Table and Algoa Bays.
