Year: 1877

The Leopard Of the Air.


paul du Chaillu)


EYES," said Querlaoun, ain my youn.
ger days, l remember, my wife and my
self were on our plantation with some Of
our slaves, and one day we heard the
cries of baby and saw child carried
up into the air by one of these gnanio
MEMS. The baby had been laid on the
ground, and the guanionien, whose eyes
never miss anything. and which had not
been noticed soaring above our heads,
pounced on its prey, and then laughed
at US as he rose and flew to a distant
part of the forest" -
Then Querlaoun showed me fetch
partly made of two huge claws Of this
bird. What tremendous things these
talons we're! how deep they could go
into the flesh! ~


Then came the wonderful stories of
the great strength of the bird. The peo-
pie were afraid of them, and they were
compelled to be very careful of their ba-
bies. These grand eagles do not feed
on fowls; they are too small game for
them. Monkeys are what they like best );
they can watch them as they float over
the top of the trees in the forest; but
sometimes the monkeys get the better of
them. tia


"People had better not try to get hold
of the guanionien young, if they want to
keep their right" said Gambo, "for, as
sure as we live, the old bird will pounce
upon the man that touches its young"


Fora long time l heard the people
talking Of the guanienien, but had never
yet had glimpse of oue Now, look
ing up again, I saw several of them
How high they we're! At times they
would appear to be quite still in the air !;
at other times they would soar. They
were SO high that I do not see how they
could possibly see the trees; everything
must have been in haze TO them mon.
keys, of course, could not be seen They
were no doub! amusing themselves; and
wonder If they tried to see how near
they could 60 to the sun. Some at times
flew so high that lost sight Of them.


In the afternoon / thought would
ramble round. | took a double barrel
smooth bore gun, and loaded one side
with bullet in case should see larger
game; the other harrel l loaded with
shot No. 3. Then ! carefully plunged
into the woods till / reached the banks
of little stream, and there heard the
cry of the mondi (Colobus Satanus,
which is one of the largest monkeys Of
these forests, From their shrill cries
thought there might be at least half q
dozen. i was glad indeed that had
one barrel loaded with big shot. II the
mondis were not too far off, 1 would be
able to- get fair shot and kill one


/ advanced very cautiously until I got
near to them; could then see their big
bodies, long tails, and long, jet-black
shining hair; what handsome beasts they
we're! what d nice looking muff their
skins would make, thought.


Just as 1 was considering which of
them l would fire at, saw some big
thing, like shadow, suddenly come
down upon the tree. Then heard the
tapping of heavy wings and also the
death-cry of poor mondi; then I saw
huge bird, with breast spotted some
what like leopard, raise itself slowly
into the air carrying the monkey in its
powerful, fiuger.like talous the claws of
one leg were fast in the upper part of. the
neck of the monkey, 80 deep were they
in the flesh that they were completely
buried and few drops of blood fell
upon the leaves below; the other leg had
its claws quite deep into the back of the
monkey; the left leg was kept higher
than the right, and I could see that the
great strength Of the bird was used at
that time to keep the neck and also the
back Of the victim from moving. The
bird rose higher and higher, the mon.
keys tail swayed to and fro, and then
both disappeared. 1t was guaniunien.
Its prey was no doubt taken to some big
tree where it could be deyoured.8 bee &
i The natives say that the 6rst thing the
guanionien' does is to take out the eyes
of the monkeys they catch; but there
must be fearful struggle, for these
mondis are powerful beasts, and do not
die at the eagles will. There must be a
great trial Of strength, for if the mon
key is not seized at an exact place on
the neck he can turn his head, and then
inhicts a fearful bite on the breast of the
eagle, ,.or on his neck or leg, which disa.
bles his most terrible enemy, and then
both falling meet their death.


/ looked on without firing; the mon
keys seemed paralyzed with fear when
the eagle came down upon them and did
not move until after the bird Of prey
had taken one of their number and de-
camped. When ! looked for them they
had fed to parts unknown to me in the
forest; / was looking so intently at the
eagle and its prey that for a while had
forgotten the mondis. I do not wonder
at it, for monkeys / could see often, bu
it is only once in great while that sucf
scene as / witnessed could be seen by
man. 1t was grand; and / wondered
not that the natives called the guanionier
, the leopard of the air.


ts