Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-26
FROM GORILLA LAND
CARGO oFANTHRoPoIDs REACHES
ENGLAND.
Weird Scenes on Landing-Collector
Experiences in the French
Congo.
From the London Leader.

| From the London Leader.
Those fortunate enough to be In the outer
dock, Southampton, early yesterday morn
| ing, when the daily Havre boat arrived at
once suspected when she began to disem-
bark her passengers that some were of an
astonishfng1y wild and woolly character.
That proved entirely true. Dismal wailings,
| which died away in low means of utter de-
spair, passionate shrieks suddenly protest.
ing against dreadful infamy on board (you
could imagine some one beating his breast
in maniacal hopelessness), made the usual
dock loiterers regard the passengers with
| severe suspcion-except a few who knew
| the passenger list included seventeen CHM
panzees and cola-cambas, who were under
| the leadership of Crowther, a big. black
| gorilla-far the largest deputation of such
| West African natives that has ever visited
| Europe
Like Deafening Lunatic Asylum.
| If they were weird and loudly sorrow
| full company on the ship, when once they
/ were on the quay they became an agonizing
| and dea4ening lunatic asylum, In detach-
| ments. Their sorrow and protests were
irving, and brought the dock population to
| the spot in hopeful anticipation of quite the
/ most picturesque and dire tragedy that
| ever was.
There was no interviewing such passen-
! gers. The big, hairy paws thrust out to
! tear away their sack curtains were all most
wanted to see. Crowther the gorilla, was
! interviewed unintentionally by the Leader
representative. Looking to see what was
| in the dark at the back of box, like back
shake the interviewer by the neck, and a
face like a black mask appeared, and stated
something most emphatically. II was not
taken down. Hastily concurring with all
Leader visitor left, without Gin a manner
of speaking) closing the door.
A Weird Collection
After such a big population of larger apes
the fact that there were also 200 gray
parrots. three crab-eating jackals, 80 mixed
birds, 30 snakes, including horned vipers
and pythons. 81 turtles and torto!ses, 20
alligators and crocodiles 80 various mon
keys, 10 iguanas, l hornbill 40 doves and
pigeons, 20 African green parroquets and
two large bush antelopes carries no signif1-
canoe, except to those who heard them, or,
looking close down to a dark box, saw with
spasm of surprise the eyes of a python,
with head like a gigantic ace of spades,
carefully measuring the distance to the
visitors face. The antelopeS were not land
ed. The board of agriculture forbade it,
looking antelopes as undesirable aliens
who might insidiously demoralize our ma
tive cows.
of the Hamlyn-Lttle expedition to the
French Congo. 1t left Southampton at the
end of May last under the charge of Mr..
John Hamlyn, the well-known naturalist
and animal dealer of st. George street, who
has had a life experience of procuring live
specimens in their native haunts.
The primary object of the expedition was
to procure specimens of chtmpanzees for
the rOVat commission tuberculosis. to OBJ
tain other specimens for Walter Rothschild
and to obtain a general collection of West
African skins and skeletons for the British
Museum. Mr.. Little accompanied the party
as collector and taxidermist.
The Land Of the Gorilla.
After the animals were safely housed in
railway vans. the successful and interest
ing trip was told to a Leader representa-
tive The '1and of the gorilla" is that part
of Africa between two degrees north of the
equator and five degrees south, and runs to
l6 degrees east longitude-that is, 1t is
confined to the French Congo. A noun
famous land covered with dense forests, In
which npungo (the gorflla), nchego 9the
chimpanzee) and the cola cam ba have their
respective departments, showing great re-
spect for each others boundaries; although
the natives state that the gorilla and Chin
panzee intermarry in one district, with the
result-the cola-camba- 1t should be ex-
planned that that name is what the natives
call large ape which Is intermediate be-
tween a gorilla and chimpanZee, but
scientists declare 1t to be a distinct
species. Mr.. Hamlyn procured two.
Biggest Catch on Record.
The party proceeded first to Banana, at
the mouth of the Congo, and then went
north to the French Congo coast stations.
Loango, Mayumba and Settle Cana At
these three places there were collected IN
all IS chimpanzees and cola-caInbas three
gorillas and 40 boxes of various small ami
mails and snakes. OF the latter, Mr.. Ham,
Ign procured the most representative col
lection of French Congo reptiles which has
yet reached England. OF course, the num-
Der of large apes is the greatest ever got
together and the success of the expedition,
as regards goriIlas, astonished Mr.. Hamlyn
himself
Crowther, the only surviving gorilla.
which by is safely at the zoo, is by
far the largest of her kind which has ever
reached England alive. Her method of
admittance to the expedition is interest
ing. and well illustrates the mysterious
transmittance of West African news. Mr..
Hamyn went up country into the bush to
help at the festivities over the death of a
relative of the King of Cambodia. No
sooner did the natives learn why he was
in the country than they Immediately OBJ
away.
Poor Crowther (named after the British
agent there) enjoying a meal in
banana palm when discovered. The in
hospitable natives cut down her break
fast table. and pinned her to the ground,
when she fell, with a huge forked pole
about her neck Hence her present gloomy
maleyolence.
Dangerous Game"
To capture alive, Mr. Hamlyn explained,
a full grown gorilla is impossible. It has
ferocious habit of literally tearing its OPP
ponent limb from limb, of biting his
face away. But the natives occasionally
dare to shoot them with Brummagem trade
muskets. The method is never initiated by
whites. The game is hardly worth the 60
rilla.
You get trade musket, jam 1t with nails
and powder. and approach your gorilla.
He meets you half way. You offer him the
musket muZzle. which he promptly bites.
Then the trigger ought to be pulled for
an obvious reason. If the reason is also
ohytouS the gorilla yOur friends copoa-