Big Game Shooting, volume 1 (of 2)Phillipps-Wolley, Clive
General
Big Game Shooting, volume 1 (of 2)
Phillipps-Wolley, Clive
Game and game-birds; Hunting
When I came home I happened to meet Dr. (now Sir Richard) Quain, the
great toxicologist, and by him to be introduced to Dr. Spence, to whom
I told the story of the tsétsé, the result being that I was invited
to attend a meeting of the Entomological Society. Doubting my power
of giving any clear account before such an august assembly by word
of mouth, I wrote the few particulars I had to communicate. When I
entered, rather late, a gentleman was explaining the abnormal and
interesting peculiarities of a beetle, which had an extra tarsus--at
least I think that was the peculiarity--and that tarsus was actually
fimbriated! A great deal of very learned talk and discussion followed,
and I thought what a fortunate fellow I was to have written my
description; but alas! my turn came, and the same savant, after holding
my scrawl at every angle in the hope of deciphering the cacography,
at last gave it up, saying he regretted he could not make it out, but
fortunately the writer was in the room, and would perhaps kindly tell
them the history of the flies of which he had sent a specimen. I longed
for a repetition of the days of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram just to
swallow up that old gentleman and his scarabæus; but I had to get up
and explain that I was sorry if they expected me to address them in the
very erudite way I had been listening to for the last hour, as I really
had no idea how many (if any) tarsi my fly had, and, moreover, I was
supremely ignorant whether their tarsi (if existent) were fimbriated or
not. They kindly begged me to tell my tale in my own words, declaring
they should much prefer it, and I did so, and was dealt with in a most
friendly manner. I certainly would rather have stood the charge of a
couple of lions at once than laid myself open to a catechism on tarsi
and fimbriæ.
We pushed down the Limpopo beyond the Siloquana ridge four or five
marches, and then crossing the river near a high rocky hill returned to
the Mariqué without anything of much interest occurring; but half-way
between the junction of that river with the main stream and the place
where we left it to get to Livingstone’s station, I was again in
trouble.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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