STANLEY POOL TO THE KWA RIVER. 147 
was, although he did no great harm, yet, on afterwards 
examining the keel we found a decided dent in it where he 
had struck the iron. I felt so cross at having my nice 
breakfast scattered over the luggage, that I seized my 
Winchester, and fired it at his head as the great creature 
lifted it from the water a few yards off to see what damage 
he had done. I don’t think [ killed him, but his struggles 
in the water and the streaks of blood appearing round the 
spot showed that he had been sharply warned not to | 
molest travellers again. 
On a sand-bank where I stopped to bargain with some 
natives, there was an even greater number of butterflies 
collected than yesterday. They seemed to be drinking 
with intense pleasure from the wet shore, and I caught 
ten of them in no time by simply laying hold of them by 
the thorax. 
The natives on this island were all seated in trees, 
perhaps for the sake of shade, but they looked terribly 
like gorillas. The commonest birds along the river, 
which hereabouts has an average breadth of 800 yards, 
are Egyptian geese, Gypohierax vultures, grey parrots, 
jaganas,* darters,f and the chocolate-brown Scopus um- 
bretta. I also saw, but failed to shoot, Lophotibis, a 
curious, dun-coloured species of ibis, with greenish wings, 
and a relatively short bill, very deep at the base, the 
general contour of the bird recalling the above- named 
Scopus umbretta. 
February 26th.—The scenery is becoming really pic- 
turesque. Ordinarily the Congo is beautiful in detail, 
unimposing as a whole.. Indeed for a river of its magni- 
tude it would need Alps to form suitable cliffs for such a 
breadth of water. In this portion, however, some of the 
general effects are strikingly impressive. A _ splendid 
expanse of stream reflects on its placid surface the blue 
sky and creamy-white clouds above it; on one:side are 
ereen hills and purple woods, and on the. other the 
inimitably graceful Hyphcene palms which in rows ang 
* Parra Africana. 
+ Plotus levaillanti. 
bo 
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