THE GRIVET 251 



straw-coloured under-tinge, which becomes such 

 an amusing and intelligent pet if kept in a suit- 

 able place of confinement. He is full of life from 

 morning to night, and never quiet for a moment. 

 One of these small creatures was given to my wife 

 by my friend Major Stevenson-Hamilton whilst 

 we resided last year at Delagoa Bay, and during 

 the remainder of our stay there was a source of 

 continual amusement to us. Not more than half- 

 grown at the time of his arrival, Algernon grew 

 apace, and loved nothing so much as a little rough 

 horse-play in the sand. As evening approached 

 and the air grew cooler he would draw over his 

 head and around his shoulders a small, very dirty 

 piece of cloth which thus did duty as a sort of 

 cape, holding it, until slumber relaxed his small 

 fingers, tightly beneath his chin. Should a 

 vagrant current of the afternoon breeze remove 

 this coverlet to a point beyond his reach, his shrill 

 and piercing lamentations would continue until 

 it was restored to him, when, as the gloom 

 deepened, he would climb into his box clutching 

 it nervously to him, and methodically rolling it 

 round him, compose himself to sleep. 



Throughout Zambezia grivets are very com- 

 mon, and their skins may frequently be seen in the 

 possession of the natives. They do a good deal 

 of damage, in common with other varieties, to 

 the native gardens, which they despoil of grain, 

 ground-nuts, and other produce. They are fre- 

 quently seen in small parties in the branches of 

 the mangrove trees which skirt the East African 

 rivers, and in the forest itself may often be 



