On the Angwantibo of Old Calabar. 173 



part of the word, and cannot say whether it arose from any 

 habit peculiar to the animal. It lives in trees ; but, being 

 nocturnal, the people know exceedingly little about it. They 

 cannot tell what it eats. A lad whom I asked said that he 

 lived in the house, and it lived in the bush ; how, then, could 

 he know anything about it X My Krumen also recognised it 

 as a countryman of theirs. They consider the one sent as a 

 young one ; and say that in their country it grows to the size 

 of a common puss. Probably theirs is a different animal, but I 

 cannot tell. They call it Dwdn, and say that it lays down the 

 law to the other beasts, forbidding them to eat the young fruit 

 when it begins to form on the trees. If the monkey trans- 

 gress, the Dwdn seizes him, and holds him there till he dies, — 

 yea, the monkey rots in his grasp. They say that they are 

 shot together thus. If the monkey gets the shot, the Dwdn 

 holds on ; if the Dwdn gets the shot, they fall together. The 

 Krumen say that the Dwdn eats fruit. This is all we know 

 about it at present ; and their (the Krumen's) account seems 

 somewhat fabulous. One of the legs of this specimen is 

 broken. I will send it by the mail that takes this to your 

 address.- — I am, &c., Alexander Robb. 



" P.S. — Since writing the above, I have met a youth 

 who professes to know about the Angwantibo. He says it 

 sleeps by day, and eats at night ; and that, when full grown, 

 it is as big as an old cat, and that it eats fruit." 



In a subsequent letter from Mr Robb, dated 28th February, 

 1860, he says : — " I trust you received the Tardigradus sent 

 a few months ago. Another specimen which I procured I 

 handed to Mr Thomson, who, I believe, sent it to Mr Murray." 



I have also received from the Rev. H. M. Waddell the fol- 

 lowing notice, which he had put down in his note-book as 

 descriptive of the "Angwantibo: — An animal of the sloth 

 kind, lives in trees, hangs on the branches, and eats fruit. 

 Rather larger, when full grown, than a large cat. Longish 

 snout, short ears, each foot three long crooked toes and claws, 

 with a thumb similarly shaped. No tail. Dun colour; cannot 

 walk on the ground. When set down, crawls a little? falls 

 over, and rolls itself up in a ball. Inoffensive." 



VOL. II. z 



