128 THE ODYSSEY OF AN ANIMAL COLLECTOR 
cannot gorge themselves easily, the parrots and pigeons disappear 
as quickly as they came, but not so the touracos. These are resident 
and continue to live on olives almost exclusively for a long period, 
even though they may be hard to find. The wild olive fruits are 
almost round and are swallowed whole by the touracos, and when 
the flesh is digested the stones are regurgitated and cast out. The 
parrots, however, ignore the fruit and crack open the stones for 
their kernels. 
The mammals of the ravine forests are, apart from the monkeys, 
nearly all nocturnal. One of the things that impressed me most as 
a newcomer was the nocturnal serenade of the Tree Hyrax. 
Lying peacefully in bed in a rondavel in the cool mountain air 
of the tropics, one may plainly hear the smallest sounds of insects 
or frogs; in fact if one is not used to Africa it is hard to believe 
that a cow mooing in the distance may be many miles away. 
Under these atmospheric conditions it is a bit of a shock to be 
awakened by a hyrax only a hundred yards or so from one’s 
window suddenly shattering the tranquillity of the night by a 
long-drawn-out staccato call that might be likened to a donkey 
braying to the accompaniment of machine-gun fire. These curious 
animals, that look like a cross between a marmot and a guinea- 
pig, have as their nearest relations the elephant, so we are told 
by anatomists. They live in the crevices of rocks, or holes in trees 
in the gorges, and emerge at night to eat leaves and fruits. Their 
feet are not perfectly adapted for climbing though they are excel- 
lent for holding a surface; thus the Tree Hyrax will mount slant- 
ing trees, or those that are twisted and gnarled, with ease and is 
perfectly at home among the branches. 
One of the most curious creatures of these high woodlands is 
the Crested Rat, which is the size of a guinea-pig with long fur 
on the body and tail. It has a habit of raising the fur on its back, 
thus making a distinct parting along each side of the body and 
exposing the white underfur, which contrasts vividly with its 
darker coat. It, also, lives in crevices in rocks in the wooded 
gorges, coming out at night to feed on a variety of vegetable 
matter. I snared several in such situations, but the first one I 
captured with my hands. One night I was walking along a track 
leading through the woods when I saw in the light of my torch 
