1905.] MAMMALS AND BIRDS OF LIBERIA. 201 



tusks than those which are developed by the males in the more 

 open regions, where perhaps digging for roots or the desire to 

 uproot trees is more prevalent than in the dense forest, where the 

 elephant can find abundant sustenance in the leaves and fruits of 

 trees which he reaches with his trunk. Extremely little is known 

 by Europeans abotit the West- African Elephant, as the animal is 

 so rarely killed in that region. I hope that some of the foresters 

 of the Rubber Company may be able to kill a Libeiian Elephant, 

 in order to ascertain by photography, or possibly even by 

 preserving the skin, the shape of the ears. Some little while ago 

 it was shown by a Gern:ian zoologist that an elephant received 

 from the interior of the Cameroons had ears that were smallei- 

 and much more rounded than those of the East African type. 



The Rhinoceros undoubtedly exists — I cannot say in what 

 type — in the northern parts of Liberia, as the Mandingos at once 

 recognised pictures of it, and named it Kowuru. T might mention 

 that the Mandingos talk a great deal about a striped animal which 

 they call Siruku. They recognised a picture of a zebra and called 

 it Siruku, but at the same time described the animal as being 

 extremely ferocious and dangerous to life. As it is impossible to 

 recognise this description as applying to the zebra, I thought from 

 their gestures that they might mean the leopard ; but to the 

 leopard they gave a totally different name — Soli. Moreover, they 

 were particular that this animal had stripes. It may be the 

 Striped Hya?na. At the same time, on every occasion when they 

 were shown the picture of a zebra they declared that this was the 

 creature they called Siruku, but that in their country it w;is 

 ferocious *. 



As regards Antelopes, they are divisible into two groups, so far 

 as distribution in Liberia is concerned — those that inhabit the 

 forest and those that are confined more or less to the open, park- 

 like country. Cephaloplixis sylvicultrix and C. jentinki are found 

 in the dense forest. Most of the other Liberian Duikers, including 

 the beautiful Zebra Antelope, are more associated with the forested 

 hills than the lowlands; in fact, they are usually called " Mountain 

 Deer" by the Americo-Liberians. The magnificent Bongo is 

 fairly common. It is called the " Elk " by the Americo-Liberians, 

 who have followed the Americans in their maddenmg habit of 

 misnaming every living creature they come across ; so that the 

 Bushbuck or rather Harnessed Antelope is called the '■ Red-Deer," 

 while the splendid Blue Plantain- eater is termed the " Peacock," 

 and the Turaco, the " Redv/ing." Outside the forest, or on the 

 northern verge of it, there are Hartebeests — Buhalis raajovf — 



* [Note. — -By a curious coincidence, after tliese lines were WTitten I noticed the 

 following statement on p. 293 of 'De la Cote d'lvoire au Soudan,' bj' Capt. 



d'Ollone : — " II me faut mentionnes I'existence de deux sortes d'hyenes .... 



beaucoup plus grandes plus fortes et plus hardies que celles d'Algerie oil d'Orient. 

 Mais I'une surtout, que les indigenes appellent ' Sowara ' (Cheval-pantliere) , serait 

 formidable et inspii'e une tres grande terreur. Un Sowara avait tue un sergent 

 fran9ais dans une ease peu avant notre passage. Cette hyene serait, paraitit, 

 tachetee."] 



t Horns of this species were brought home by Col. Powne}-. 



