262 A JOURNEY UP THE RIVER CONGO. 
the Amazon species, is occasionally found in the Lower 
Congo and about the estuary. I have seen a skull alleged 
to belong to it. 
The elephant is very abundant on the Upper Congo; 
and every morning, as you ascend the river, traces of their 
last night’s devastations may be seen, for they seem to 
have a tendency towards wanton destruction and waste, 
being like parrots and monkeys in only eating about a 
quarter of the food they procure, and scattering the rest 
right and left with wanton caprice. So, on the islands of 
the Upper river, where the graceful borassus palms grow 
in their thousands, each blue-green palm with its cluster 
of orange fruit, the elephant is to be constantly seen— 
sometimes in broad daylight, but more often towards sun- 
set—breaking his way through the pillar-like clusters, 
destroying many a beautiful palm for the sake of those 
orange-coloured stony dates of which he is so strangely 
fond. You may also see them, as I have, in the short 
hour of tranquil twilight, walking out in Indian file from 
the sheltering forest into the shallow parts of the river, 
where they squirt streams of water over their dry heated 
skins. Ordinarily it is at nigh-time, and above all when 
there is a moon, that the elephants come down to drink 
and bathe. Moreover, they are much more commonly 
seen on the Congo during the dry season, as then the many 
little forest brooks are likely to be dried up, and the 
elephants are compelled to incur greater publicity in their 
bath by seeking the great Congo. Although the elephants 
are much more frequently met with above Stanley Pool, 
still in certain districts of the Lower river they are 
common, especially in the cataract region. In the country — 
opposite Isangila elephants have often been. shot by 
members of Mr. Stanley’s expedition, and at the Livingstone 
mission station of Banza-Manteka, fifteen miles from the 
south bank of the Congo, elephants have at times trooped | 
in long succession past the door of the mission-house, 
whilst the awe-struck missionaries shut themselves up 
securely within. | 
The largest Tusk I have yet seen on this river weighed 
