HAMLYN'S MENAGERIE MAGAZINE. 
has not been stinted, any more than light, and 
they have snug dens hollowed out in the masonry 
of the temples and aqueducts. Birds of all sorts, 
from Condors to Finches, Parrots and Ostriches, 
inhabit the aviaries and enclosures. Siberian 
Cranes, Porphyrios, Bustards, Crested Screamers 
and Water Fowl of various sorts enjoy full liberty 
in the park. This park was opened to the public 
in October, 1914, two years before which date its 
site was unsightly waste land, seldom visited by 
anyone. It is called the Southern Zoological 
Park, and is a worthy complement to the Zoologi- 
cal Garden of the same city. 
THE WATER ELEPHANT. 
SOME NOTES ON SETTE CAMA 
(Continued from No. 3, July, 1915, Page 2). 
Sette Cama always had a strange fascination 
lor me. The Hinterland had never been evplored. 
The Panguins, a celebrated hunting- tribe, were 
very warlike, their country is extremely rich in 
ivory, rubber, and also minerals. They were very 
careful in allowing the White Man to enter their 
territory, and took care that its wonderous re- 
sources were not exposed to the White Adven- 
turers who frequent that region. They, however, 
had a great respect for the English Agent with 
whom I was stopping. When this region was 
very foolishly handed over to the French, this 
Englishman had been in possession of Sette Cama 
for many years; in fact, Messrs. Hatton and Cook- 
son had an establishment there for over fifty years, 
taking occupation after the Portuguese traders 
had left that part of the Coast. Rumour says it 
was the headquarters of the slave trade, but of the 
" Black Ivory" business I know very little. I 
believe it ceased when the Portuguese left. 
There was one serious disadvantage in visit- 
ing Sette Cama. Its wonderful surf. Supposed 
to be the worst landing in South West Africa. 
I well remember when leaving Boma, the capital 
of the Belgian Congo, the English Agent enquired 
my next port of call. I told him Sette C-'ama. He 
very pleasantly enquired whether I was a good 
swimmer, for on his last visit, he swam ashore. 
My landing certainly came up to his description, 
for we were upset after passing the second 
breaker, and miraculously rolled on shore with 
the third breaker. I saw at once it would be im- 
possible to ship any large animals from the 
beach. All landings and shippings were in surf 
boats. The greatest sensation in nil my travels 
was the passing of the three breakers in the Sette 
Cama beach. Whilst there it was nothing unusual 
for the ships officers landing cargo to wear life 
belts, one seldom saw them land without. 
The Agent had a great knowledge of the mys- 
teries of the Hinterland. It was with great diffi- 
culty that he could be persuaded to speak on the 
strange customs and mysterious animals found 
in that region. And so it came about that one 
evening he spoke of a new water animal which 
existed in the region of Fernan Faz. His remarks 
were to the point. He never troubled to mention 
the animal when visiting Europe. The eminent 
zoologists and scientists of the day had already 
decided what animals were in existence, and for 
him to describe or attempt to bring into notice a 
strange animal would be accounted presumption. 
He called up a very intelligent Fernan Faz native 
who had been in the factory with him for years, 
and who, every three months, took stores to the 
factory at Fernan Faz. At first the native declined 
to speak on the matter. That was explained 
afterwards by the fact that this strange beast 
was considered sacred from the White Man. I 
might say in passing that the natives could never 
understand why Chimpanzees, Gorillas, and other 
animals were collected by the White Man. I 
finally explained that all the Chimpanzees and 
Gorillas taken to Europe were trained as sailors 
there. This explanation they accepted. The des- 
cription of the "Water Elephant" is contained in 
the letter below : — 
"The Paris scientific journal 'La Nature* 
lor 14th Jan. contains a note of which the 
following is a translation : — 
"The Water Elephant. — We have just 
obtained additional information with regard 
to the mysterious animal which inhabits the 
lakes of Central Africa, and which the natives 
call by this characteristic name on account 
of its aquatic habits. The following is what 
we have learnt from Mr. Le Petit, one of 
two explorers sent by the Paris Museum of 
Natural History to these little-known regions, 
more especially from the point of view of 
their fauna, as witness the history of the 
okapi. 
" It was at Tomba Mayi on the northern 
shore of Lake Leopold II. that Mr. Le Petit 
saw these animals. That lake is situate on 
the left bank of the Upper Congo, in the dis- 
trict of Lukeni (Belgian Congo). The water 
elephants, which formed a small herd of five 
head, halted at a distance of about 500 yards 
in such a manner that Mr. Le Petit was ena- 
bled to observe them for some seconds before 
they plunged into the lake. The trunk and 
the ears are remarkably short; the neck, on 
t he other hand, is longer than in the elephant, 
and the height does not exceed about 6ft.; 
there were no signs of tusks.. 
