A FOREST SCENE BESIDE THE AMAZON.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1312, 24 February 1883, Page 4

A FOREST SCENE BESIDE THE AMAZON.

e On the third evening after our deis parture from Bogota, we camped on the g banks of the Rio Patamaya (a tributary ■ ( of the Amazon), in a grove of majestic I adansonias, or monkey fig trees. High: t over our head we heard an incessant I grunting and chattering, but the event was too far advanced for us to dis- . tinguish the little creatures that moved 3 in the top branches of the tall trees, 3 The next morning the noise recom- . menced, and we saw that the grunters ; were a sort of small raccoons, and the s chatterers a troop of monos, or capuchin .. monkeys. After a consultation with , the Indians, we fastened our monkey, I Billy, to a string, and made him go up the tree as high as we could drive him, j without betraying our presenco to his j 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 expected, got entangled before long, and, finding , himself at the., end of his tether, he [ began to squeal, and his cries soon attracted the attention of his friends in the tree-top. Wehearda rustling in the branches, and presently ah old , ringtail made his appearance, and, seeing a stranger, his chattering at once brought down a group of his companions, -mostly old males, though. Mother-nfbnkeys with babes, are very shy, and those in the tree-topi seemed to have 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 scream; a harp-eagle was circling around a tree-top, and coming down with a sudden swoop, he seized one luckless mother-monkey that had not found time. to reach a hidingplace. 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 devotibnand animal instinct— "' unless I must call it presence of mind j when branch after branch slipped from her grip 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, share J the same fate which she knew to be in , store for herself. I stood up'and fired J * both barrels of my gun after the robber, ( butwithouteffect, the rascal had already ( ascended to the height of at least two hundred feet, and he flewlff, with" his" I victimdanglingbetweenhis "claws,

It is slated that one of. the. bouquets received by Madame Simonsen on • the " Wellington stage contained a cheque j'j-as ,'. ,i6lialitacknowledgementofthonnweatiedi r efforts the lady has put forth to ensure i ;he success of eyerj performance given. l The:latest tiring Jn - accidents. A tram car, an omnibus, six 1 cabs, three carriers' dtayß;' t ati , ;' centnry.carriage, and a venerable lady and [. } gentleuiau, got mixed in: d marvellous''' manner, but came out clear, and without damage; ■; ■;' : '■ .i.-'M'v'W :'i ,