Smithsonian African expedition under the direction of Col. Theodore Roosevelt (1909-1910), book 2, numbers 1859-3094

An estimated 11,400 African animal specimens were collected for the Smithsonian's Natural History Museum during the Smithsonian - Roosevelt African Expedition of 1909-1910. This second book of field notes from expedition member Edgar Alexander Mearns's personal papers documents specimens 1859 - 3094 with references to locations and other geographic details. The expedition began its work in British East Africa, later collecting in the Congo and Sudan. Edgar Alexander Mearns (1856 - 1916) joined the expedition at the request of Col. Theodore Roosevelt. A former U.S. Army surgeon and medical officer, Mearns consistently found time throughout his lengthy military career to pursue his naturalist interests collecting bird and mammal specimens from various locales in the U.S., Mexico and the Philippines. Roosevelt's invitation gave Mearns the opportunity to observe and collect birds and mammals on the African continent. Join us in transcribing these field notes! You can also help transcribe book 1, numbers 1 - 1858 from this historic expedition.