228 ANTHROPOID APES. 



Giissfeldt saw a fetish called Bunsi, constructed of 

 the skulls of animals, and quite peculiar to Bakunya- 

 land. It consisted of a pile of the skulls of animals 

 which had been slain in hunting, and which were 

 brought as an offering to the fetish by the hunter 

 in order that his good luck might be maintained. 

 The heap consisted for the most part of the skulls 

 of antelopes, buffaloes, and wild boars, but there 

 were also many skulls of gorillas. Among these 

 Giissfeldt saw two fine specimens with high bony 

 crests. When he inquired where gorillas were 

 found and killed, the natives of Ntondo pointed to 

 a neighbouring forest.* 



Giissfeldt describes the character of the forest of 

 Mayombe, where gorillas are also found, somewhat 

 as follows ; — This forest does not correspond to our 

 idea of a primeval tropical forest, and would perhaps 

 perplex a South American traveller, since it is more 

 like the forests of mountainous districts in Germany. 

 The luxuriant growth of lianas is characteristic of 

 a tropical primeval forest : they form a second 

 roof of leaves above the green masses of the closely 

 set trees. But in this case the parasitic vegetation 

 is scanty, although not wholly absent, as the 

 kautschukranke {LandolpMa jlorida) shows, which 

 was at one time very abundant, but is now nearly 

 extinct. Its growth no longer obstructs the view of 

 the tall and slender trees, somewhat resembling 

 beeches. The underwood of our German forests is 

 here chiefly supplied by the large linear leaves of 

 the scitamines, of which the most common variety is 



* Die Loango Expedition, Abth. i, p. 123. 



^^>'l>n^ p, 



