Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London - University Library

LIKNEAN SOCIETY OF LONDO:S 39
iiiancled at tlie time the ' Ariadne ' which escorted H.R.H. the
Prince of Wales ou his visit to America, invited ElHs to be his
guest on the occasion. Daring the progress of the Prince's visit,
Ellis remained attached to the retinue, seeing in a short time
more of the couutrv than would have been possible to him, if he
had travelled by himself, and preparing himselt' for other visits
which he made in subsequent years and which he extended into
many parts of the Far West. The object of these later visits
was mainly sport with rod and gun, and several seasons were
devoted to the big game of the Rocky Mountains ; he travelled
southwards into Mexico and British Gruiana, attempting even the
iiscent of Koraima, a feat accomplished many years later by
Im Thurn.
The accounts of the wonderful success of sportsmen in South
Africa induced him to undertake an expedition into that continent.
Having secured the goodwill and assistance of a professional
hunter, John Dunn, who enjoyed the special favour of the Zulu
King, he was able to penetrate into, and shoot in parts of the
I'ountry which were closed to the majority of travellers, and,
therefore, still teeming with ever_y variety of big game. On this
expedition he met with a serious accident, as far as his friends
know, the only one that befel him during his wanderings. A
crocodile seized him by the leg inflicting dangerous wounds, by
which he was kept for six weeks a close prisoner in a Kaffir
kraal.
On the invitation of Lord Dufferiu, then Governor-General
and A'iceroy of Canada, he fished in 1S79 the Grand Cascapedia
River, Bay of Chaleur, in the Province of Quebec, having for
his companions Mr. L. Iveson and Captain G. A. Percy. An
idea of the abundance of fish in that river at that time may be
gathei'ed from the record kept by Ellis of that expedition.
Between June lUth and August 14th he fished on 4-4 days,
during which he caught to his own rod 269 salmon of an
aggregate weight of 6714 pounds ; 53 weighed between 30 and
44 pounds.
In 1882 he visited India and organized an expedition into
Eastern Turkestan ; travelling by the usual route through Cashmere
and Leh, and spending the winter in Tarkand and Kashgar.
During this expedition he had an opportunity of releasing a
Punjabi trader from an embarrassing situation : and from a sense
of gratitude, this man not only kept up a correspondence with
Ellis after his return to England, but also sent him a series of
some thirty heads of Ovis poU, such as is not likely to be ever
brought together again. On his journey home Ellis visited Japan,
some of the South Sea Islands, and Xew Zealand, without making
a protracted stay in any of these countries.
After his return to England he gradually laid aside gun and
rod, and finally selected Surrey for his residence. In the
charming neighbourhood of Haslemere he built Frensham Hall, a