SOME STRANGE ANIMALS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2072, 6 May 1907, Page 1

SOME STRANGE ANIMALS.

SEEN JJY A MC-OAME HUNTER IN AFRICA. Arc there other “new” animals in Africa besides tlie okapi, whose existence! has been definitely established, and the white rhinoceros, which no European has ever seen, though native rumor asserts it is 'iioi/..a mythical creature? Curious reports have been brought back from Portuguese East' Africa by Mr. .T. E. Spearcs, who has been spending a year trapping and shooting big game in the regions mostly near Rake Nangiadi and the Royuma river.

“One day returning to camp near Nangadi I saw,” says Mr. Spenres. “some zebra standing about 200 yards off iu long grass. 1 fired, but flic bullet must bare passed over them. As they galloped up the slope on the other side of the spruit T noticed that some of them were differently ma rkecl f ■oni others. Their heads and necks were brown, while in the hinder part of the body they were striped like zebra. The natives told me they were a variety of zebra, but that they wore very scarce. T followed them for miles, hoping to get another shot, but did not again come up with them. “A little later,” SH-.VS Mr. Speares. “while on the track of elephants, I saw some of the peculiarly-marked zebra I bad seen at Nangadi, and this time there could bo no mistake ;-ibout the colour. In shape it was to all appearances the same as the zebra, but the bead, neck, forelegs, /uid fare-half of the body were of a dark brown colour, while the hinder part of the body, the hindquarters and legs, were stripped as in the ordinary zebra. “In this vicinity there is also a peculiar kind of antelope, similar in size and shape to the impala (the roebuck of the Boers), but with a distinct black lino down the centre of tlio back and on cither hind leg down to the foot. When startled they will spring into the air fully 10 fee+. They aro very wild, and exceedingly active, and run together in groups of ton to fifty. “On another "of my excursions I shot a small buck with a brilliant red coat. It was hornless, and about as large as a stccnbuck. This is, I believed, a new variety.” MILLIONS UNDER THE SEA. TREASURE SUIT’S VOYAGE TO AFRICA. There is a fascinating air of romance about tlio expedition which was to leave the East India Docks on March 27th in the steamer AlfrcJ Nobel, to search for sunken treasure worth £6,000,000 off the coast of Africa. According to Captain C. A. T. Gardiner, of Bloomsbury, who heads the expedition, the-African coast is lined with bullion sunk in every kind of vessel from old Dutch galleons :o modern liners. Here is an alluring list of a few of the treasures which -t is hope dwill he brought to the sur-

face : Immensely rich treasure captured from pirates and sunk in the "Wilhelm der Secunda. Priceless china, bullion, tin, lead, and silver sunk in the Dutch galleon Middleburg, which was scuttled off TToetjo’s Bay 192 years ago to avoid capture. Valuable cargo lost in the Dutch Government’s armed merchantman Crazenstein in 1698. Copper, tin, and silver of great value, which went down in the Aberdeen "White Star boat ThermopylfC. .Captain Gardiner has served in the British and Chinese navies, and is an officer of the I?oval Naval Reserves. His attention was drawn to the records of the many wrecks which have occurred along the African coasts, and he spent several years in endeavoring to locate them. He was rewarded by the discovery coveries was the formation of the of twenty-nine wrecks, which could be, reached, and the result of his disSoutli African Salvage Company, Limited, with a capital "of £26,000. The steamer Alfred Nobel, once the Oromea, a pleasure yacht, and more recently engaged in carrying dynamite, was chartered, and no pains or money was spared in equipping her as a salvage vessel. There are twenty hands, including two divers, all ox-navy or naval reserve men. They have signed on for five years, and will he given a five per cent, share of all treasure found. “"We are not going only to look for wrecks, liut-wc shall do salvage work permanently,” said the captain to a newspaper representative. “There is at; present no salvage company in South Africa, and eight or nine valuable boats are wrecked there every

year.”Tho Cape Government claims 15 por cent, of the value of nil silver raised. 25 per cent, of tlic value of gold and

precious stones, and 10 per cent, oi the value of other articles, but Captain Gardiner is quite satisfied that there will ho enough left to please everybody concerned. ~ , ,