THE GALAGO 



for its large, leaf-like, sensitive ears. When alarmed 

 the galago flits as silently as a bird, and almost as 

 swiftly through the forest, leaping lightly and grace- 

 fully from branch to branch, and to astonishing dis- 

 tances. They, moreover, leap with the greatest pre- 

 cision and certainty. I have seen them spring from a 

 branch a distance of twenty feet through the air and 

 alight upon a twig as gracefully and confidently as a 

 bird ; and in a moment of time springing away 

 again as great a distance. The agility and endurance 

 of a galago is almost unbelievable, when at home 

 high up in a forest tree. Once we surprised a galago 

 in an isolated tree. Two of us climbed up the tree, 

 which was a comparatively small one, hoping to 

 fatigue the animal by forcing it to leap from one part 

 of the tree to another ; our endeavour being to keep 

 it on the move all the time. 



Although we were tough and wiry in those days, 

 and used to climbing trees and scaling krantzes, 

 yet both of us were completely exhausted, while the 

 galago seemed as fresh and full of vigour as ever. 



The galago is beset by many enemies. The 

 eagle-owls are ever on the watch to make a meal of 

 one. Sitting bunched up and immovable upon a 

 branch, high up in a forest tree, the eagle-owl drops 

 like a stone upon any unwary galago which might 

 pass beneath ; and once in the clutch of this great 

 bird's cruel talons, it is doomed. 



The South African Python, with body contorted 

 to represent the innocent branch of a tree, watches 



73 



