166 THE ODYSSEY OF AN ANIMAL COLLECTOR 
for a few moments | was able to ascertain that it was not a large 
volume of sound coming from a distance, as I at first thought, but 
a lesser volume quite close to me. I went nearer and I suddenly 
seemed to be on top of it. It must be a small mammal, I thought, 
but then what mammal, and why was the cry so continuous and 
from the same spot? It intrigued me more and more as I crawled 
to within a few feet of the sound, but could see nothing. De- 
termined to find it, I wriggled through the wall of vegetation 
bordering the track, and there saw, within two feet of my nose, a 
long tree-snake swallowing a tree-frog. The poor frog was very 
much alive, and was being slowly devoured rump first, hence the 
frantic squealing. I tried to grab the snake with my hands but 
the density of the undergrowth prevented me from acting quickly, 
and after my first attempt it slithered off at great speed with the 
frog’s pitiful cries still disturbing the peace of the second growth. 
The children of Eseka possessed real live toys which caused 
them endless amusement. With these they used to play at “aero- 
planes.” The same “toys” formed part of my collection and proved 
so irresistible that when I got home to the Zoo with them many 
otherwise serious-minded, staid gentlemen took up the same game 
—that is, when not in company of underlings. To play the game, 
all that is needed is one Goliath Beetle and some cotton or string. 
This beetle is a gaily colored fellow of enormous size and with 
hard “horns.” In flights the buzzing of the wings is quite formi- 
dable. The cotton (or string) is attached to the horns and the 
beetle is then cast into the air. When the string pulls tight, he 
flies round and round in circles making a noise like a miniature 
aeroplane, until he gets fed up with it and flops to the ground. 
This is, of course, a seasonal game, as during its full life-cycle of 
one year this insect, like most of the Coleoptera, enjoys only a 
short period in the beetle stage. 
Although my residence was secluded and on the very edge of 
the forest, it was but one hundred yards from the railway station 
and two hundred yards from the local market. This latter was 
the gathering ground for many hundreds of women who came 
daily to sell palm-nuts and exchange the proceeds for something 
they particularly required. They wore rafha skirts and were bare 
