The Sun.
London, England, 1861-07-08 00:00:00

THE NEgT-BUILDING APE.

I saw many of these nests after this, and may as well say
here that they are generally built about 15 or 20 feet from
the ground, and invariably on a tree which stands a little
apart trona others, and which has no limbs below the one
on which the neat is placed. I have seen them at the height
of 50 feet, but very seldom. This choice is probably made
that they may be safe at night from beasts, serpents, and
falling :limbs. They build only in the loneliest parts of
the forest, and are very shy and seldom seen even by the
negroes.
Okabi, who was an old and intelligent hunter, was able
to tell me that the male and female together gather the
material for their nests. This material consists of leafy
branches with which to make the roof, and vines to tie these
branches to the tree. The tying is done so neatly, and the
roof is so well constructed, that until I saw the nshiego ac-
tually occupying his habitation, I could scarce persuade
myself that human hands had not built it. It throws off
rain perfectly, being neatly rounded at the top for that pur-
pose. _ _ _

The material being collected, the male goes up and builds
he nest, while the female brings him the branches and
vines. The male and female do not occupy the same nest,
but have nests not far apart.
From all I have observed, I judge that the nshiego is
not gregarious. The nests are never found in companies ;
and I have seen even quite solitary nests occupied by very
old nshiego mbouve, whose silvery hair and worn teeth at-
tested their great age. They seemed hermits who had re-
tired from the nshiego world.
They live on wild berries, and build their houses where
they find these. When they have consumed all that a par-
ticular spot affords, they remove and build new houses, so
that a nest is not inhabited for more than eight or ten days,
We travelled with great caution, not to alarm our prey,
and a hope that, singling out a shelter and waiting till dark,
we should find it occupied. In this hope we were not dis-
appointed. Lying quite still in our concealment (which tried
my patience sorely), we at last, just at dusk, heard the loud
peculiar "Hew I hew I hew I" which is thecall of the male
to his mate. Wo waited till it was quite dark, and then I
saw what I had so longed all the weary afternoon to see. A
nshiego was sitting in his nest. His feet rested on the lower
branch ; his head reached quite into the little dome of a
roof, and his arm was clasped firmly about the tree trunk.
This is their way of sleeping.
After gazing till I was tired through the gloom at my
poor sleeping victim, two of us fired, and the unfortunate
beast fell at our feet without a struggle or even a groan.
On a later occasion he succeeded in capturing a
young Nshiego. It was the only ape which he was
able to tame, and which lived for any time. Poor
Tommy became quite domestictited, and his death
was much lamented, not only by the ardent hunter
himself, but by the negroes, who are a very affec-
tionate and kindly-disposed race, notwithstanding
their cruelty when under the influence of super-
stition :

L For some hours after we started we saw nothing but old
, tracks of different wild beasts, and I began to think that
Anguilai's ogana had been too sanguine. Finally, towards
12 o'clock, when we were crossing a kind of high table
lard, we heard the cry of a young animal, which we all re-
cognised to be a nshiego mbouve. Then all my troubles at
once went away out of mind, and I no longer felt either
sick or hungry.
We crawled through the bush as silently as possible, still
hearing the babylike cry. At last, coming out into a little
cleared space, we saw something running along the ground
towards the spot where wo stood concealed. When it came
nearer we saw it was a female nshiego mbouve, running on
all-fours, with a young one clinging to her breasts. She
was eagerly eating some berries, and with one arm sup-
ported her little one.
Querlaouen, who had the fairest chance,:fired, and brought
her down. She dropped without a struggle. The poor little
one cried " Hew hew I hew !" and clung to the dead body,
sucking the breasts, burying its head there in its alarm at
the report of the gun.
We hurried up in great glee to secure our capture. I can-
not tell my surprise when I saw that the nshiego baby's face
was pure white—very white indeed—pallid, but as white
as a white child's.
I looked at the mother, but found her black as soot in
the face. The little one was about a foot in height. One
of the men threw a cloth over its head and secured it till
we could make it fast with a rope; far, though it was
quite young, it could walk. The old one was of the bald-
headed kind, of which I had secured the first known speci-
mens some months before.

I immediately ordered a return to the camp, which we
reached towards evening, The little nshiego had bt on all
this time separated from its dead mother, and now, when it
was put near her body, a most touching scene ensued. The
little fellow ran instantly to her, but, touching her on the
face and breast, saw evidently that some great change had
happened. For a few minutes ho caressed her, as though
trying to coax her back to life. Then he seemed to lose'all
hope. His little eyes became very sad, and ho broke out
in a long plaintive wail, " Ooee I ooee I ooee I" which
made may heart ache for him. He looked quite forlorn, as
though he really felt his forsaken lot. The whole camp
was touched at his sorrows, and the women were especially
moved.
All this time I stood wonderingly staring at the whit,
face of the creature. It was really marvellous and quite
incomprehensible ; and a more strange and weird-looking
animal I never saw. g
While I stood there, up came two of my hunters and
they thou*
egan to laugh Look, Chelly !" said they, calling
your
roarlv tywo you see,
tl
me.by the name I was known by among themcng
your friend. Every time we will kill gorilla, you tell
look at
w. Lookhite.
fraite
ny
do your
Thenblack f r
camei end , ' a us,
Ihetuirt
tremendously good joke.
" Look I ho got straight hair, all mac as
you, See White