Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-04-09
VISITED THE AFRICAN PIGMlES

afre with the new crusade.
VISITED THE AFRICAN PIGMlES
Chaplin Spends Six Years in the Wilds
of Africa.
James Chaplin Of the Congo expe-
dition Of the Museum Of Natural
History, has returned to New York,
after six years spent in the wilds OF
Africa.
Despite seemingly l-authenticat-
ed rumors in the last few years that
the members Of the expedition had
been lost or killed, he reported that
they had enjoyed the best Of health
and that the expedition had been a
great success, more than 10000 speci-
mems having been obtained. They OBJ
tanned three okapi, which was the
special object Of their search.
I'VE were lucky enough to get three
perfect specimens Of the okapi," Mr..
Chaplin said, two full-grown and one
about half grown. The little one is
the only one that 1 saw alive and the
group will be the first that ever has
been set up in this country. The okapi
is q distant relative Of the giraffe, only
that his neck is shorter. The males
have the same horns as the giraffe
and both males and females have
stripes on their legs like zebras. Her
bert Lang, who vas in charge Of the
expedition, was particularly pleased
at our luck.
I'VE started for the Congo Free
states on May 8, 1909, intending to be
gone a year. After we got into the
work this time was heightened to two
years, then to three, and finally we
decided to stay until we had finished
what we set out to do.
I'VE landed at Stanleyville, which is
about 1900 miles inland up the Con-
go, and then made u first hike
which landed us 1T Avakubi after 23
days. MI. Lang and I walked, as we
did for the rest Of our stay there, and
it is probably due to this constant
exercise that we e able to retain
our health although the other white
men in the Congo thought it wonder
full that we could live there for six
years without serious sickness.
"Avakubi and Medic, both Belgian
posts, were our headquarters for a
year, and it was here that we obtain
ed the small okapi. This Is a forest
country and owing to the lack Of un-
derbrush was fairly easy to travel
through. The Belgian government as
sisted us in every way. The officials
would get porters for us and the gov
eminent ended by contributing $1,000
towards the expenses Of the expedi-
ton.
"One Of the most curious Of the
bird specimens we collected was a
species of great hornbill. We also
have several nests Of this bird. The
male hornbill, when the season arrives
for the female to lay her eggs and
raise a family, entices his mate into q
hollow tree, as high above the ground
as possible, and then walls her In
with mud. She is imprisoned in this
cell for from six weeks to w months
and is allowed to break her way out
when the young are ready to fly. All
this time the male brings her food
many times a day, which he passes In
to her through a small hole which he
leaves for the purpose when he walls
her up. Her food consists of insects
and fruit, which he often has to chew
small enough to pass through the
hole.
Another peculiar bird was a crown
ed eagle, that seemed to live ex-
clusively on monkeys. He is similar
to the American eagle, except that
he has very large, strong feather feet
with great talons. We have speci-
mems of his bird and also several OF
it's nests, which are huge. There was
also a chocolate colored hawk, which
lived on bats. 1t would appear jus,
about dusk and catch the bats on the
wing. Weaver birds, which are about
the size of the New York sparrow
build hanging nests, sometimes as
many as 200 in one tree, which they
enter at the bottom.
IN the Ituri we were in the pigmy
country, and saw many of these
people and found them an assistance
in our work.. They are great hunters
and usually attach themselves to some
tribe composed Of farmers, so thai
they can trade the spoils Of theil
hunt for vegetables. They are great
hunters of caterpillars and white
ants. These they catch and after dry
ing them use them in trade with the
other natives who are just as keer
for them as they are. The caterpil.
lar month is September, and then the
pigmies are in clover. They roam the
forests until they find a tree that i!
stripped by the caterpillar, and they
camp there until they gather all they
can carry. They catch the white ants
which are not very large, by setting
leaf traps near their hills.
'Ic VI wv ilOSl pSSuiioi llli6'
we found in the forest country wa!
the wireless telephone used by TIT
natives. l was able to get two of thu
|, great wooden drums they use. This
is a wonderfully efficient system. anc
is not like the Morse or any that WI
use. The natives make noises will
the drums, which will carry 10 miles
and which resembles the sounds O
, words in their own language. 1t il
more like a wireless telephone thar
anything else.
"A steamer sank on the rive
, several days ago and within two day
of its loss we had heard all about ii
even to it's name, the Vile de Bruges
1t took the survivors Of the wrecl
/. several weeks to reach where w,
were, but the native wireless trans,
mitted the news in As hours.
I'VE were told that the native!
around Medie were ca animals NOT G,