A FOREST SCENE BESIDE THE AMAZON.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3620, 17 February 1883, Page 4

A FOREST SCENE BESIDE THE AMAZON.

On the third evening after our departure from Bogota, we camped on the banks of the Rio Patamaya (a tributory of the Amazon), in a grove of majestic adansonias, or monkey fig trees. High over our head we heard an incessant grunting and chattering, but the evening was too far advanced for us to distinguish the little creatures that moved in the to"p branches of the tall trees. The next morning, however, the noise recommenced, and wo saw that the gruntcrs were a sort of small raccooiis, and the chatterers a troop of a>ollol, or capuchin monkeys. After a consultation with the Indians, we fastened our monkey, Billy, to a string, and made him go up the tree as high as we could drive "him without betraying our presence to his relatives. We had no traps for catching them, but our plan was to let them come near enough for us to shoot one of the mothers without hurting her babes. Billy's rope, as we expocted, got entangled before long, and, finding , himself at the end of his tether, he began to squeal, and his cries Boon attneted the attention of his friends in the troe-top. Wo heard a rustling in the branches, and presently an old ringtail made his appearance, and, seeing a stranger, his chattering at once brought down a troop of his companions, mostly old males, though. Mother-monkeys with babes are very shy, and thoso in the tree-top seemed to havo* some idea that all was not right, Their husbands, though, came nearer and nearer, and had almost reached Billy's perch, when all at once their leader slipped behind the tree like a dodging squirrel, and at the same moment we heard from above a fierce, long drawn stream ; a harp-eagle was circling around a tree-top, and coming down with a sudden awoop, he seized ono luckless mother-monkey that had not found time to reaeli a hiding-place. The poor thing held on to her branch with all her might, knowing that her life and her baby's were at stake, but the eagle caught her by the throat, and his throttling grasp at last made her relax her grip, and with a single flop of his mighty wings, the harpy raised himself some twenty feet, mother, baby and all. Then we witnessed a most curious instance of maternal devotion and animal instinct —unless I should call it presence of mind; when branch after branch slipped from her .crip and all hope was over, the mother with her own hands tore her babe from her neck and flung it- down into the tree, rather than have it sharo tho same fate which she knew to be in store for herself. I stood up and fired both barrels of my gun after the robbor, but without effect, tho rascal had already ascended to the height of at least two hundred feet, and he flew off, with his victim dangling between his claws.