The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1918-07-05
AN EXCITING SPORT
Hunting Monkeys in Burmah IS
Full of Thrills.
CONSERVATION In Treetops When Gin'
bons Are AssaiIed-Travel Faster
Through Trees Than Man Can
Run on Ground.

Our most exciting sport at the Nhm-
ting camp was hunting monkeys
writes Roy Chapman Andrews In Har-
per,s. Every morning we heard quer-
ulous notes, sounding much like the
soueallng OF very young puppies,
which were followed by long drawn
siren walls. When the shrill notes
had reached their highest pitch they
would sink into low, full tones exceed
ingly musical.
We were inspecting line OF traps
placed along a trail which led up val
ley to a wide plateau when the Quer-
ulous squeallng abruptly ceased. we
moved on, alert and tense. The trees
stretched upward full 100 feet. their
tops spread out in leafy roof. In
the topmost branches Of one we could
Just discern a dozen balls Of yellow
fur from which proceeded discordant
walls.
It was long range for shotgun,
but the rifles were all in camp. fired
a charge Of "BB's" ut the lowest mon
key and as the gun roared out the
treetops suddenly sprang into life.
They were filed with running, leaping.
hairy forms swinging at incredible
speed from branch to branch-not
dozen, but a score Of monkeys, yellow,
brown and gray.
The one at which had shot seemed
unaffected and threw himself full
fol liyph hnlnyV
and to the right. fired again, and he
stopped, ran a few steps forward and
swung to the under side Of the branch.
At the third charge he hung suspended
by one arm and dropped to the
ground.
We tossed him into the dry creek
bed and dashed up the hill where the
branches were still swaying as the
monkeys travelled through the tree
tops. They had long start and it
was a hopeless chase In ten min
utes they had disappeared and we
turned back to find the dead animal.
1t was a young male, and l knew ut
once that it was a gibbon (HylObates).
for it's long arms, round head and tall
less body were unmistakable; but in
every species with which I was ia
miliar the male was black. This one
was yellow and we knew it to be a
prize.
For the remainder Of our stay at
the Namting river camp we devoted
ourselves to hunting monkeys. The
gibbons soon became extremely wild.
Although the same troop could usually
he found in the valley where we had
first discovered them, they chose hill
sides on which 1t was almost impOs-
sible to stalk them because Of the
thorny jungle. We went forward only
when the calls were echoing through
the jungle and stood motiOnless as
the wailing ceased. But in spite Of
all our care they would see or hear US.
Then in sudden silence there would
be a tremor Of the branches, splash
after splash Of leaves, and the herd
would swing away through the track
less treetops.
The gibbons are well named HylO-
bates or stree walkers" for they are
entirely arboreal and, although awk-
ward and almost helpless upon the
ground, once their long thin hands
touch branch they become trans
formed into veritable spirits Of the
treetops. They launch themselves into
space. catch a branch twenty feet away
to swing for an instant and hurl them
selves to another. 1t is possible for
them to travel through the trees faster
than a man can run on open ground.