Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-08-18
CONGO MONKEYS.
Experiences of an Explorer With Them
as Companions.

Nothing has astonished me more
since my return to England than
the utter absence Of knowledge con-
cerning the flora and fauna Of Cen
trail Africa, and 1 learned from both
the geological society and from the
of the natural history
museum that 1t is generally regard
ed as the country Of all others In
the whole world of which least Is
known to scientists in these re-
spects. found it, in most parts OF
my journey. to be positively swarm
ing with all the larger big game
Wherever one struck off the main
lines of communication one was safe
to light upon elephants, buffalo, bush
cattle and an enormous variety OF
antelope, leopards and a kind OF
cheetah, known in French as
guepard; in addition to an extraor-
dinary variety of small mammals,
many Of which are unknown In this
country. To give an instance or
how easily interesting specimens may
be obtained. 1 would mention that 1
shot two large forest rats, beasts as
large almost as a small terrier, In
Stanley's forest. When I came to un-
pack my case In this country l dis
covered that the two rat skins had
disappeared and in their places were
two other skins belonging to a little
mammal which forms. / believe,
kind of connecting link between two
such distinct species as the guinea
pig tribe and the rhinoceros.
The only way in which this sub
stitution could possibly have come
about Is that during my stay at
Avakubi, Immediately before the
case of skins which I shot in Stan
ley's forest was finally packed, l
was comparing specimens with the
resident officer Of the post, and by
some error these skins must have
got exchanged. Now, the interesting
thing about 1t Is that the rats which
shot appear, from the description
I have been able to furnish of them.
to be absolutely unknown In this
country, while the beast. specimens
Of whose skins 1 obtained In ex-
change, was only known to the ex-
tent Of the skin Of young one hav-
ing been sent home by Emin Pasha.
This was, up to the time l returned,
the only specimen existing In Eng
land and 1t bears the pasha's name.
It Is even now by no means certain
that the skins which I have brought
back are those Of the same animal,
In much the same way I collected
some seventeen different varieties OF
monkey, Of which. so far as l am
able to learn, only two are repre-
sented at the geological gardens, and
several of them appear to be new
and unknown varieties In this coun-
try, or at least varieties Of which
specimens have never been exhibited
here. AS, unfortunately, I did not
make any considerable collection OF
the small animals which / came
across 1t Is impossible to say for
certain how many of them are new
to science; but from the descriptions
which 1 have given. and from the
examination which have made OF
the specimens at the natural history
museum and at the zoo. there Is
little doubt that very large number
of those to be found in the northern
part of the Independent State OF the
Congo are not represented here.
Almost all the forests Of equato-
rial Africa are, of course, full OF
monkeys, and there appears to the
layman to be practically no end to
the number of varieties Of them ex-
listing. AS in most parts ones ma
tive bearers appreciate monkey more
highly than any other form OF food
cit is with them a positive craving
to satisfy which they will go to
extraordinary lengths,) one natural
ly shoots very large numbers OF
them, although / am bound to ad-
NIT that the sight Of a dead monkey
gives one an uncomfortable sensa-
ton Of being a murderer, so exactly
does the poor beast in its death
throes resemble a wizened. prema-
turely aged child. or the larger
simians, one meets with practically
unlimited baboons of all sizes
from those no larger than a cat UP
to those as large as a 12-year-old
child and as powerful as a full
grown man. Then, to the west and
northwest, more particularly in the
French Congo, gorillas are fairly
plentiful but they are so delicate
that 1 made no attempt Of bringing
any down country alive, as l was
warned by every one that I should
never achieve 1t. Moving eastward
the gorlllas gradually give place to
the chimpanzees. and in Stanley
forest and in the forest Immediately
south of the Uele they are very
plentiful One extraordinary fact
about them and about several Of the
varieties Of the small monkeys /:
tho attraction which the white man