532 THK WORLD'S WONDKKS. 



cage, but not until a chain had been attached to a collar about 

 his neck to prevent the possibility of future escape. 



It was pitiful to see the little gorilla in the mad frenzy which 

 he displayed after recapture. But he seemed to grow more com- 

 posed after two days and would come to eat out of Du Chaillu's 

 hand, but it was always with a treacherous intent. Assuming a 

 most bland and peaceful expression, he would approach from the 

 rear of his cage and take the food proffered him, but in a twinkling 

 he would throw out his hind feet and try to grasp the arm or 

 legs of his captor. After ten days' captivity he died, continuing 

 untamable to the last. 



THE NEST-BUILDING APE. 



NOT long after losing his baby gorilla, Du Chaillu went upon 

 a hunt with a proper escort and his favorite man Aboko. They 

 were not very successful in finding game, but the enthusiastic 

 naturalist found something that was even more delightful to him. 

 As he was trudging along, rather tired of the sport, he happened 

 to look up at a high tree which they were passing, and saw a most 

 singular-looking shelter built in its branches. He asked Aboko 

 whether the hunters here had this way to sleep in the woods, but 

 was told, to his surprise, that this very ingenious nest was built 

 by an ape, called nshiego, an animal with no hair on its head 

 so Aboko said. 



Du Chaillu saw at once that he was on the trail of an animal 

 till then unknown to the civilized world. He no longer felt tired, 

 but pushed on with renewed ardor and with increased caution, 

 determined not to rest till he had killed the nest-building ape. 



These nests, many of which were found in the forest, were 

 built on the lowest branches of large trees, invariably isolated, 

 and usually from fifteen to twenty feet from the ground. The 

 materials of which they are made are leafy branches with which 

 the roof is constructed, and vines to tie these branches to the 

 tree. They are so admirably built that human hands could 

 scarcely improve them, certainly much better than are the habi- 

 tations of the tree-dwellers in some of the Malay islands. The 

 nests are never found in company, nor do the females and males 



