from Efulen in Co mar nun, 51)3 



so little is seen or heard of it, animal-life is really abundant, 

 and many a mammal or bird maybe passed within a few feet 

 and its presence never be suspected." 



"The creatures of the forest form two almost distinct 

 divisions — those which live on the ground, and those which 

 live in the trees. It is as if nature had provided for the 

 beasts and birds in this part of the world a two-storied house. 

 Those on the ' ground-floor ' are mainly hoofed animals — 

 small antelopes, wild pigs, &c., which thread their way 

 through the undergrowth and are seldom seen. Many birds 

 also find their food and shelter on or near the ground, 

 and seldom fly into the tree-tops. Such are the Guinea- 

 fowls, the Ground-Doves, and the birds of different kinds 

 called ( Akalat.' The principal inhabitants of the upper ' flat' 

 are monkeys, squirrels, and other tree-climbing mammals, 

 with the big fruit-eating birds, such as the Hornbills, 

 Plantain-eaters, and Parrots — which, by the way, are an 

 exception to the rule that the inhabitants of this forest 

 are silent. All these creatures, and many others, pass their 

 lives in the tree-tops, seldom descending to the ground. 

 Monkeys can travel about everywhere without coming down 

 from the trees, and can cross all except the widest streams 

 on bridges formed by the meeting of the branches." 



" In this sea of trees the clearings made by man form but 

 small and scattered islands. The human population of the 

 country is scanty, living in little villages situated far apart 

 through the forest. A small plantation or garden furnishes 

 sufficient food for a village. But it is the fashion to cultivate 

 one patch of ground for a few years only and then to 

 abandon it for another. These abandoned gardens do not go 

 back to forest — at least not for many years, — but are soon 

 taken possession of by a vegetation peculiar to themselves, to 

 which the name of 'bush/ applied in the ' Kroo-boy ' English 

 of the coast to the forest, might be more appropriately given. 

 It consists in some places of thickly-growing 'Mejom' 

 (Amomum ?) stalks from ten to fifteen feet in height, in other 

 places of small trees or bushes bound together by thorny vines 

 and a long vine-like sedge with cutting-edges. In spots where 



