Day 18: Figan “Fishes” for Ants
| Date: | July 17, 1974 |
| Start: | 07:05 (nest) |
| Finish: | 19:10 (nest) |
| Duration: | 12 hr. 5 min. |
| Observers: | David Riss and Hilali Matama |
David’s Report. A quiet day with Figan and Faben returning to Camp via ngazi to meet Goblin, Hugo, and Gilka. They traveled east to find Satan and Gigi. Gigi traveled with them and Goblin and Patti the rest of the day, leaving Gilka, Hugo, Satan, and Sparrow. The highlight of the day was a Sparrow/Patti full-open-grin whimpering, screaming and squeaking hand dabbing at each other as Figan and Faben arrived. It lasted for 40 seconds in a palm tree within arm’s reach both females bobbed with little contact as Figan sat hair- out inspecting Sparrow. Strange. The group traveled up to Rocky Peak and then into Kasakela and almost into Linda when they turned back to hit the kifumbe near Linda Peak.
Kahama community female Little Bee (age 14) eats ants (siafu). Little Bee was the older daughter of Madam Bee. 
On route near the kifumbe, Gigi had them off the trail to Upper Kasakela stream where Gigi started siafu’ing. Figan siafu’ed for 10 minutes, stirring up the ants. He used his right arm and a budyankende stick. He left and Faben took over for a couple of minutes. The two males went off in the direction of the kifumbe and stopped to wait for Gigi, who had walked over from where she was fishing to the Figan/Faben site. There she fished from 1624 to 1706. Figan and Faben really wanted to go. Though they ate leaves for a few minutes they just sat around waiting for Gigi.
Adolescent female Honey Bee (age 9) watches her mother, Madam Bee, “fish” for ants (siafu) in Kahama valley. Like Faben, Madam Bee lost the use of an arm during the 1966 polio epidemic.
Figan became vocal and soon grunted at the following times: 1629, 1639, 1642, 1657, 1700, 1704, and 1706. Finally, she came after some branching by Figan also. Goblin and Patti, also hanging around, joined them. Gigi had eaten ants for about an hour, with two average stick fulls a minute: quite a haul and a meal. They met Nope and Mustard for a second time in the afternoon without incidence. Goblin and Mustard did not interact at all. They fed on kifumbe for 1 ½ hours before nesting nearby.
ASSR Details. More Figan displays hair-out as he meets Hugo and then Satan. Patti got into another squabble: this time with Sparrow when Figan hair-out arrived in the ngazi tree. Figan started inspecting Sparrow, and Sparrow and Patti, within arms reach, full- open-grin whimpered and screamed, dabbed at each other with their arms. This continued for 40 seconds and soon things quieted down.
Later at Nope‘s arrival, Gigi screamed and somehow Faben full-open-grin screaming approached Figan and presented to him. Figan reassures him after a brief hair-out charge when Gigi and Faben scream. Did Gigi chase Faben a bit? Poor observation in thicket.
Nesting Details. Arrive at kifumbe tree at 1802 as Faben and Gigi feed on mnazi about 30 m away. Gigi comes down out of kifumbe at 1844 and walks to mnazi. Figan follows after Faben grunted and left mnazi at 1843. Faben walks down slope from grass to forest. Figan and Gigi feed on mnazi until 1852 and descend and follow Faben. At 1853, Figan and Faben fast-grunt. 1858: Faben nests. Goblin/Figan self (4) and Patti and Gigi eat msongati. Figan/Faben grunts at 1900. At 1902, Gigi comes down and nests at 1905 (3) Faben. Figan has climbed msongati (x from Faben) at 1902 and feeds until 1908. He descends msongati and sits under his nesting tree for 30 secs and ascends and nests.
