Book 5: (July 21, 1912 to November 28, 1912 {Jan. 1914})
Diaries List
DATE: July 21, 1912
LOCALITY: Garamba
At the beginning of the rainy season, at Garamba, in the fields
where sorghum was grown last year, there sprang up a new growth
of the same plant. According to natives this is of no value, as
the grain will not ripen in the middle of the rainy season, and
so they cut it down to make place for their earlier crops, maize,
squashes (maboki), small gourds (of which the seeds are eaten).
Near our camp a large patch of sorghum had nevertheless been left,
and by the middle of July much of it had attained a height of
10 to 14 feet, and many stalks bore heads of green seeds, which
attracted some finches (Carpodacus), weavers (Pyromelaena) and
occasionally parakeets (Agapornis). Other birds fed on the ground
in this cover, but mostly small forms. On July 21, a woman at
work in the plantations saw a leopard entering this patch of worthless
grain, and spread the alarm. All the men and youths of the village,
numbering about 25 assembled on the spot with their spears and
some also with bows and arrows. The spears were of two sorts,
short elephant spears with heavy club-like handles and long narrow
blades (1 1/2 - 2 ft long), and the common long slender shafted
lances with shorter head. (See Illustration)
They entered the sorghum without hesitation, spreading out, and
walking back and forth until they came upon the leopards, which
proved to be two in number. One, slightly wounded by a spear,
sprang up with loud growls of rage, scattering his pursuers, and
then ran off to another place of concealment. The hunt was now
interrupted for a quarter of an hour, while nets were procured,
and set up along a path bisecting the field of sorghum. 6 or 8
natives stood behind these nets, with spears in readiness, while
the others again beat the cover as before. The natives of these
parts have no shields, but two of the hunters had provided themselves
with doors from their huts, heavy rectangular lattices, which
when provided with handles of bark, served the same purpose. I
now waited near the net, hoping to get a shot, but ere long a
loud yelling and stamping told us that the beaters had come upon
a leopard, and before we could reach the spot it had been riddled
with spears. Kalifa, a Baka, who usually served as guide and tracker
for Mr. Lang, and who boasts of having killed, with the lance,
17 elephants, besides divers lions and leopards, was the first
to pierce it with his spear. Seeing this, the whole party rushed
in, each anxious to give a final thrust. Later on the carcass
was carried to the village, and formed the center of a short savage
dance. Kalifa was found to be wearing the tip of its tail on a
cord about his neck. The hunt was resumed, for one leopard still
remained, but he got thru the beaters, and escaped on the other
side, crossing a freshly cleared field and disappearing for good
in the brush, where the tracks were very difficult to follow,
and where there was no chance of seeing him again. The dead leopard
was an old female, but of remarkably small size.
DATE: SEPT. 3, 1912
Late this afternoon I listened to the singing of a white-crowned
Cossypha, in the small swampy patch of brush and trees at the
spring where our drinking water is drawn. It sang continually,
but kept well hidden in the bushes, withdrawing when approached,
but never guarding silence for long. Besides recognizable imitations
of other birds, it gave many notes which I could not construe
as such; either they were its own compositions, or they were imitations
I could not appreciate. One of the birds it liked best to mimic
was the oriole (the common yellow-crowned species of this neighborhood),
while the calls of the small yellow and green shrike (with gray
crown, orange breast), the streak-breasted kingfisher, the fruit
pigeon, common rufous-breasted cuckoo, and Asturinula were also
reproduced with success. Three imitations new to me were those
of the black barbet with red face ("hic-cup, hic-cup..")
Haliaetus vocifer, and a bee-eater (Merops nubicus or another
member of the genus), the last mentioned in 2 different keys,
Book 5: Page 2
perhaps indicating different species. One of these thrushes sings
nearly everyday at the post, keeping among some lemon trees, or
in neglected patches of rubber and banana trees. The voice is
sometimes low as tho far distant, or may be raised, as 9often
toward dusk.
DATE: Sept. 4, 1912
The little black weaver, apparently related to Vidua, tho with
only a short tail, was observed today, its first appearance this
season. 3 males and a female, in the post. Last year one was seen
a few days earlier. Along in October and November they became
common, but disappeared about the first of the year -probably
breeding during their stay here. In 1910 they were seen near Rungu
and Niangara in October and November, but before January had disappeared.
DATE: Sept. 5, 1912
The ring-necked turtle dove was heard calling today, I heard
it first on Aug. 17th, and again on Aug. 31st and Sept. 1st. For
the last couple of weeks it has rained comparatively little. Last
September, I remember, there was a similar lull in the rains,
during which some grass was even burned, tho October seemed to
make up the time lost. When the wet weather is in full swing,
it rains here every other day, sometimes every day, afternoon
being the most common time for storms, tho in this there is no
firm rule. For two days past, bee-eaters (of the genus Merops)
have occasionally been heard high overhead, from their notes and
from the color of once seen at a great height, they seem to be
of the common large green species. The "Tribune Congolaise"
of June 1, 1912, quoting from "Anvers Bourse" gives
the flow of water at the mouth of the Congo 120,000 cu. meters
per second, of the Kasai at its mouth 11,000, of the Ubangi 7,000,
of the Aruwimi 4,000 cubic meters per second.
DATE: Sept. 6, 1912
Saw today about 8 of the little black weavers (and their brown
mates), mentioned under date of Sept. 4, 1912.
DATE: Sept. 6, 1912
The long-legged, broad-winged Polyboroides is a hawk of rather
peculiar habits, proceeding with a slow sailing or leisurely flapping
flight, hopping about the branches of leafy trees, or clinging
to the side of a rotten stub, apparently in search of insects.
Its small head sometimes gives it a vulturine appearance, and
the feathers of the nape form a sort of ruff. It is a restless
bird, and even when not pursued, often travels continually from
one tree to another in a definite direction, tho on the other
hand, I have seen them return, after being molested, to the same
group of trees along the Dungu above the post. Two are the most
I have noticed together, usually they go singly; nor have I ever
heard the voice. (1 specimen seen at Faradje today, 1 on Sept.
3rd, two at Gangura's in April last). The tall cane-like grass,
known in Bangala as "Baka" (Kingwana "matete"),
so characteristic of the borders of the forest region, seems to
reach the limit of its distribution between Faradje and Garamba.
At the latter locality I never saw it, tho there are other high
grasses near water. The largest stalks of baka measure 2cm in
diameter near the ground
Book 5: Page 3
(2.5cm at nodes), and the tallest plants attain a height of at
least 15 feet, terminating (late in the rainy season) in a long
fuzzy catkin. Baka is used by natives, both here and at Medje,
as a light building material, for supporting the thatch, etc,
and when dry has the appearance, tho not the strength, of bamboo.
A few old dry stalks of "matete", at Medje, often serve
as a torch, and give a good flame; but in the Uele a bunch of
dry "suli" (the grass used for roofs), or any other
dry grass at hand, is more often used for illumination. This latter
grass ("suli" in Bangala, "nyazi" in Kingwana)
is found at Medje and everywhere we have visited in the Uele.
Its blades are long, and fairly broad, so that even tho it has
no conspicuous stalks it often reaches up to one's chest. It is
especially characteristic of old village sites, often forming
open fields of grass, agreeable to the eye by reason of its uniform
height, and not difficult to walk thru. For the roofs of the houses
of posts this grass is usually tied on in small bundles, after
the earth has been cleaned off; but natives usually fashion a
long but simple mat, found with two cords, and then wind this
spirally upon their conical roofs. (See
Illustration) Bamboo is rare in the parts of the Congo where
we have worked most. Since we left Stanleyville, in fact, the
only place I have seen any was near Vankerckhovenville, where,
some 2 1/2 hours south of the post, not far off the road to Arebi,
there was a small patch, standing on high ground, but close to
a forested gorge cut by a small stream. This bamboo had a peculiar
desiccated appearance (it is true some had been cut by workmen
from the post), growing in rather open clumps, the stalks rising
to a height of 30 feet, with only few and small branches. Its
outer surface was not glossy, nor were the hollow chambers within
very large. I visited it in company with Mr. Goffinet (Aug. 1911),
and we agreed that it seemed a very different bamboo from that
along the Congo. Bamboo was later brought to the post at Faradje
from the neighborhood of Matafa's. It should be noted that the
stalks of Raphia palms, extensively used in building are often
called bamboo by Europeans in the Congo. Along the banks and islands
of the River Dungu at Faradje, these are patches of a tall grass,
sometimes a little latter than baka, and with hollow stems much
thicker, tho it has not at all the solidity of bamboo.
DATE: Sept. 17, 1912
LOCALITY: Lemvo
Went to Lemvo to fetch Mr. Pickering, threatened with black-water
fever. Saw a light gray cuckoo (first of the season), and what
was probably a widow bird such as I shot last November (Steganura).
On the road one passes a curious open swamp, where a dense low
growth of vines seems to keep out all other vegetation. From its
resemblance to a field of sweet potatoes, the workmen from the
post call it "maliba na bangbe". One of the pleasant
mellow calls of a common shrike they interpret "pete-pete
ku-le".
DATE: Nov. 28, 1912
Colors of the flower of the "tulipier". The central
mass of flowers is creamy white. The bracts forming an outer ring
like the ray-flowers of a sun-flower are also creamy white above,
tinged about their edges with red, while below they are deep carmine.
The rest of the bracts forming the base of the flower are brownish
green, shading to dark umber at their distal edges, and sometimes,
especially the larger ones, tinged with red. Unopened flower-buds,
being covered entirely by these bracts, are colored like the bases
of flowers, deep carmine at their tips, shading to brownish green
at the base, each bract being edged with darkbrown. (See
Illustration)
Book 5: Page 4
DATE: Jan. 4, 1914
LOCALITY: Between Mongalula and Avakubi Succursale
This morning about 8 o'clock, as we were coming up the river
by canoe, between Mongalulas and Avakubi Succursale, a slight
commotion was noticed in the water ahead of us, close to the shore.
Something dark would come to the surface from time to time; at
first we thought it might be a hippo's nose, so I stepped ashore
with the rifle; then its small size suggested a crocodile, and
finally a glance thru the field glass disclosed a monkey's head.
It came to the surface very often, meanwhile drifting considerably
downstream, and making quite a little progress out away from the
shore. As for holding its breath it seemed to possess less ability
than a man, and instead of raising its whole head above the water
while breathing, it would sit more or less vertically in the water,
and expose only the face, with blinking eyes staring stupidly
upward. Then it would plunge with a forward movement, much as
a man would, but at one might expect did not swim with any great
rapidity under water. All this we saw as we made after it in the
canoe. Fearing it would sink if shot dead, I hesitated to fire,
and finally wounded it slightly with no. 8. Still we had considerable
difficulty in catching it, and the boatmen were afraid of being
bitten, but finally it was pulled into the boat by the tail, opening
wide its mouth, ready to use its sharp teeth. It was a rather
small example of the white-bearded Cercopithecus (brazzae), with
brown forehead, a female. Judge Smets, I believe, first told us
of the aquatic feats of this monkey. He had heard something drop
into a stream (near Poko) and was told it was this monkey. Later
other native told us the same story about the "makako na
may".
[NOTE]:
Cercopithecus (brazzae?) Barn's tame monkey -said to be C. "ignitus"-
was caught by a native who shot its mother while "bathing
in the river", near Bafwasende. The description of the old
monkey reads very like C. brazzae. -T.A. Barns, 1923, "Across
the Great Croterland to the Congo", p. 100.
Diaries List
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