138 ZOOLOGICAL RESEARCHES 



larger creeks and rivers, are the roosting-places of the 

 Cormorant [Graculus africanus) , and sHwyq aW Milvus aegyp- 

 tius and Haliaetus angolensis are wheeling in the air. And 

 as for the larger animals, the Bush-Hog {Sus penicillatus) 

 is rooting in the inner edge of the Mangrove-swamp , and 

 at the waterside lies , imitating a dead knotty treetrunk , 

 a Crocodile (Crocodilus vulgaris) in ambush for some Ante- 

 lope or a Water-Deer {Hyaemoschus aquaticus) which may 

 have the misfortune to visit its drinking place. 



Directly behind the Mangrove we meet large grassy 

 plains, varied with bosquets of oil-palms and brushwood. 

 The high grass is , during the rains , visited by large flocks 

 of Fringillidae , and Macronyx croceus sits on the all over 

 scattered »wild peach-trees" [Anona senegalensis). The bos- 

 quets are peopled with Nectariniae , two species of Eury- 

 stomus , with Bee-eaters , Dicrurus , Telephonus and the 

 splendid Pholidauges leucogaster. During the dry season 

 the grass is commonly burnt by the natives , and the new 

 grass is then visited by Antelopes, bufialoes and wild hogs, 

 which latter are especially fond of the so-called wild peach- 

 es , the acrid but nice-smelling fruit of the above mentioned 

 Anona senegalensis. 



The plantations, especially the rice-fields, are the mee- 

 ting-places of the most different groups of animal life, 

 both of such as settle there and of others visiting them 

 only as feeding-places. During the night they are visited 

 by Buffaloes (Bos brachyceros) and Antelopes , especially 

 the so-called »Red Deer" { Tra gelaphus scriptus) and , though. 

 very seldom , by a family of Chimpanzees. Several species 

 of Monkeys, above all of the genus Cercopithecus , come 

 there in the early morning and late in the evening, while 

 the more phlegmatic species of Colobus hardly will leave 

 the lofty treetops of the primeval forest. Large fruit- 

 eating Bats are fond of sweet bananas, soursops and 

 Mango-plums , while the insectivorous kinds keep the vi- 

 cinities of the Negro-habitations. 



Ground-Hogs [Aulacodus siuinderianus) and Ground-Squir- 



P>fotes from the Leyden MLuseum, Vol. VII. 



