GORILLAS— PITMAN 271 



forward to investigate thinking it dead, when up leaps the cunning 

 beast and kills him. 



Another pretty fable concerns the way in which an interested go- 

 rilla can be duped with a display of spear throwing. The local folk 

 wishing to destroy a gorilla with little risk of danger to themselves 

 get into touch with a gorilla troop without disturbing it. If they find 

 the old male is interested in them they indulge in a game of throwing 

 spears at each other, but before a spear is thrown some grass is very 

 openly wrapped around the blade. The one who returns the spear 

 equally conspicuously does likewise. A spear with the blade partially 

 wrapped is then hurled toward the gorilla, who entering into the 

 game, recovers and returns it with an additional grass wrapping. The 

 wrapping of grass is supposed to obviate the possibility of an accident. 

 This to and fro play enables the human party to close gradually to 

 within effective striking distance, when the blade is shorn of its protec- 

 tion and the missile hurled with deadly intent. 



Still another relates to crop raiding, and it is said that the old male 

 will remain behind and defy the puny humans who it evidently realizes 

 are incapable (by law) of action which would seriously injure him. 

 As the incensed natives try to drive him away, he raises himself up- 

 right and plucks handfuls of grass and vegetation which he brandishes 

 high above his head. This, it is stated, he does to attract attention 

 from the ground level to enable him to edge forward imperceptibly, 

 and suddenly shoot out a leg and grasp an unsuspecting native. It is 

 a pretty story, but unfortunately the creature's leg-length is very much 

 shorter than that of an arm. 



Tliere are many others, but the above are some of the best samples. 



During the journey back to camp after the second described success- 

 ful day, many entertaining moving and still pictures were taken of the 

 Wambutte by various members of the party. It was explained to the 

 pygmies when the cine cameras were prepared for action that move- 

 ment was required and that they were to pretend to fight or something 

 of the sort. So, absolutely on their own, they put up the most realistic 

 imitation of a gorilla hunt, and the one who represented the gorilla 

 played his part to perfection. It was a most amusing performance. 



It has been previously stressed that the Kayonsa habitat nowhere 

 attains a height of 8,000 feet. On the Birunga volcanoes one does not 

 expect to see gorillas until the 10,000 level is reached. Nor are the 

 gorillas of the volcanoes in the habit of ascending trees, and their 

 beds are placed almost invariably on the ground. 



The gorillas do not constitute the only subject of outstanding inter- 

 est in this exceptionally attractive region, for locally the chimpanzee 

 is plentiful, but it is a great wanderer and never seems to stay long in 

 one place. Also, as a rule, the chimpanzee appears to avoid the fav- 

 ored haunts of its huge relative, and with one exception, in the neigh- 



