j6 APES AND MONKEYS 



find a strong bough in the top of a big tree, and the grave 

 old pilot perches himself far out on it in order to get a 

 good peep at my cage. Just behind him sits the next in 

 rank, resting his hands on the shoulder of the leader, 

 while a dozen more occupy similar attitudes behind each 

 other along the limb. Each one pushes the one just in 

 front of him to make him move up a little closer, but none 

 of them except the pilot seems to want the front seat. 



They look on in silence, occasionally turning their little 

 heads from side to side, as if to be certain it is not an 

 illusion. Again they nudge each other, and move up a 

 little closer, meanwhile squinting their bright eyes, as if in 

 doubt about the strange sight before them. They have 

 made such calls before, but have not yet fully determined 

 what kind of an animal it is that occupies the cage. At 

 each successive visit they come a little nearer, until they 

 are now not a hundred feet away. Now they take alarm 

 at something and hurry off in another direction. 



Next comes a pangolin, prowling about for insects 

 among the leaves. He catches a glimpse of the cage, 

 stands motionless for a moment to see what it is, and then 

 like a flash he is gone. During this time birds of divers 

 kinds are flying in all directions. Some of them perch 

 on the limbs near by, some pick nuts from the palm 

 trees, while others scream and screech like so many tin 

 whistles or brass horns. The most conspicuous among 

 them are the noisy toucans and parrots. Many of them 

 have brilliant and beautiful plumage. 



It is now ten o'clock. Not a breath of air stirs a leaf 

 of the great forest. The heat is sweltering and oppres- 



