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Hello, I'm Bushy.

Hi, I'm Monty Mongoose

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I'm Impuku

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MONTY

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I'm Impangele.

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This book was inspired by -and written for my children, Samantha and David Corbett.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am grateful for the willing support I have received from many indivi~uals and organisations. They include the National Botanical Institute, Barrie Low and his staff, in particular Ally Ashwell, and the Botanical Society; The Emest Oppenheimer Memorial Trust for their financial assistance. There were many people who encouraged me through this project and helped me to make my dream become a reality. I would specially like to thank: Sandra Schermacher, my illustrator, Pippa Parker, my editor, Judy Bryant, my publicity co-ordinator, Leslee Solomon, Mark Berry, Vaughan Elliot and Monique Nyback. Finally, to lan, my husband, Samantha and David, my children, I could not have done it without you - thanks!

First Published 1995 Cape Town · Second Impression 1997 Third Impression 2006 Edited by Pippa Parker Reproduction by Castle Graphics Printed by Tandym Print

All rights reserved. No part of the publication can be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of the copyright owner

ISBN 0-620-19607-6

MONTY IS BORN

It was a bright, cool spring morning in Kirstenbosch Gardens, and a chilly south easter was creeping along the big brown rock at Mongoose Place. The Grey Mongoose, Umhlangala, was worried about his mate who was going to have a baby. He scampered around his wife, scurried up and down the branches and made a nuisance of himself. "Don't fuss, our baby will soon be born," murmured the mother-to-be. Her cosy little nest was all ready. It was tucked under the rock, warm and protected from the wind. It was not long before a furry American squirrel was telling everyone that the baby had arrived. "It's a boy. It has a long, silvery tail and it looks very cheeky." The porcupines with their three young, the tortoises, the striped field mice and many birds gathered around Mongoose Place to catch a glimpse. The little mongoose whimpered and snuggled nearer to its mum. "Did you ever see such a long tail?" whispered Incanda, the Porcupine, pointing her paw. "Congratulations from us all," called Impangele, the Helmeted Guineafowl. "We are proud of you," she called, her homy crown bobbing up and down. The guineafowl thought themselves to be most important. They strutted about patrolling the area and guarding it against intruders. Mother mongoose peeped out of the hole to say goodbye to her friends.

As the animals slipped away, the mongoose family cuddled close. "A handsome son," sighed the new father, "how lucky we are." Mother Mongoose mumbled, "I think our son looks naughty. Let's call him Monty. How wonderful for him to have these beautiful gardens to grow up in and explore." The new family snuggled down to rest as the sound of the crickets filled the air.

MONTY MEETS BUSHY The little mongoose grew quickly. Before long he was practising jumping off the big grey rock that was to become known as 'Monty's Rock', but he began to feel lonely and was ready to find a friend. One day he scrambled out of the hole while his mum wasn't looking and bumped - 'bang' straight into a squirrel with a very bushy tail.

"Ouch!" cried Monty as he landed on his back with his feet in the air.

"Where are you going to in such a hurry, young mongoose?" chuckled the squirrel. "I want to explore. Would you come with me - now? Where shall we go?" gasped Monty breathlessly. "Yes, I will show you around. I know these gardens well and have discovered many exciting places. Come with me - my name is Bushy." Monty jumped to his feet. "Come on, race you to Lily Pond," shouted Bushy, as he rushed away. Monty followed as fast as his short legs could carry him.

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THE GATHERING AT LILY POND

The orange glow of the morning sun was beginning to light up the mountain as the birds twittered and darted from one tree to another. All of the animals were gathering around Lily Pond to drink and wash. The Cape Weavers flew in and out of their nests, the mother birds carefully examining the new homes which their mates had built and protesting loudly if they weren't satisfied.

Bushy's mother came bustling along, with her other squirrel children running in all directions. "Look at those birds balancing on those wispy branches overhanging the water," shouted a young squirrel. "Can we try?" "No dear - those are weavers. They make their nests there to try and stop snakes ... " But before the mother squirrel could finish explaining her baby was scampering up the papyrus grass and fell - 'plop' - into the pond. A crab, furious at being disturbed so early in the morning, gave the young adventurer a nasty nip before disappearing. The poor squirrel leapt out of the water chattering loudly. Just then another squirrel shrieked in pain. She had stepped on a ring-pull from a cooldrink can which had been left on the ground by a group of children picnicking alongside the pond. Mother squirrel looked flustered and went off to find a special plant called Bulbinella to help her baby's wound. Just then Monty's mother, who had been searching for him, poked her head out from behind the huge Oak Tree. She looked worried. "Where's Monty? Has anyone seen him?" Monty popped his head over a spiky, green Dragon Tree leaf. "Here I am!" Before his mum could get cross, Bushy piped up, "Monty is with me. May I take him on a tour?" He put a paw gently on her shoulder, "I will look after him." "Do be careful. Monty is so inquisitive. He keeps disappearing," warned the mother Mongoose.

MONTY VISITS THE FRAGRANCE GARDEN Monty was so excited that he ran round and round in circles until Bushy felt quite giddy. They scampered along the paved paths, darted over the rocks and played hide and seek amongst the huge Cape Honeysuckle near the restaurant. Monty was fascinated by its orange trumpet-shaped flowers and kept trying to blow them. Bushy stopped. "Look, Monty - do you see those big buildings? That's where people come to have tea. Sometimes they leave titbits on the floor and we have a grand feast." Monty rubbed his tummy with his paw. He was always hungry. "Can we go there now? I love treats." "Later," said Bushy. Just then Monty spotted a bridge across a small stream. With a hop and a skip he dashed off and sprinted across the wooden slats enjoying the sound of his pitterpattering feet. He jumped off the bridge and carefully tested the water with his paw. "Brrrr - it's freezing!" he exclaimed, pulling a face. He jumped back onto the bridge and peeped through the wooden bars. Monty was never still for a moment.

"Hey - wait I am supposed to be the leader," shouted Bushy. Monty had vanished. Bushy found him sitting bolt upright in the middle of a pretty bush with small leaves and delicate purple flowers. His nose was twitching feverishly. "Oh I love all the smells here - what are these flowers?" "We are in the Fragrance Garden - all the plants here have a special smelL Those are Pelargoniums. People use their leaves to make perfumes." Bushy looked up to see that Monty had climbed to the top of a Cape Chestnut tree. A leafy twig landed on Bushy's head. Monty giggled. Bushy scurried after him, "Stop that at once," he shouted crossly. "Only monkeys eat the fruit of that tree. Come down now." Monty hopped round the corner and leapt into a bush of woolly, grey Wild Rosemary. "Mmmmm - this smells fresh," he said, pulling off some soft leaves and holding them to his nose. "Are these good to eat?" Bushy, who always took ages to explain things, started to tell Monty how Rosemary was excellent for coughs and colds, and all about the Buchu plants which had small glands that secreted a strong oil. He looked up to see that the cheeky mongoose had scampered off.

MONTY GETS LOST

"Monty, Monty come back here!" There was no reply. Bushy began to worry. He looked through the Pelargoniums, the Buchus and the Mint plants. He scanned the Cape Chestnut Tree and even returned to the bridge, but he couldn't find Monty anywhere. After a great deal of searching, he returned to Lily Pond to get help from the other animals. Monty's mother was waiting anxiously. She was horrified to hear

that her son was lost in the enormous Kirstenbosch Gardens. All the animals got together to form a search party to find the missing mongoose. Meanwhile, Monty was having a splendid time. He had forgotten he was supposed to keep close to Bushy. He had discovered the Herb Garden and was having great fun smelling and tasting the delicious plants. He wriggled under the Wormwood Bush, and pulled off a leaf. "Hmmm; it tastes different and look at these strangely shaped succulent leaves - they look just like ears. Wow, these look like tongues - giant tongues - but they don't taste too good." He caught sight of a Confetti Bush covered in a mass of tiny white flowers. "These look like little lights - I wonder if they glow in the dark?"

Just then a scaly, brilliantly blue, green and orange face peeped over the sun dial, and shot its tongue out at Monty. Monty squealed, overbqlanced with fright and landed in the Sour Figs. The lizard, which had frightened him, thought this was great sport and raced down after Monty, who fled in terror. Monty slunk back through the herbs, dashed across the path, and hid behind a large Khaya nyasica tree.

Nearby was Crab Otter Pond, with its lovely bronze sculpture of a Cape Clawless Otter in the middle. Monty was just catching his breath and admiring the otter, wondering whether it was real, when he saw the frightening agama lizard scurrying along the stone wall. It was all too much. Monty broke cover and backtracked to another big tree, which had plenty of low branches decked in deep green leaves. Hiding beneath them, Monty kept watch for the fearsome, scaly creature. Suddenly, he heard a scuffling noise and froze in his tracks.

MONTY MEETS THE STRIPED FIELD MICE

Monty peeked from behind his paws. As he sat beneath the leafy tree, he saw a Striped Field Mouse scuttling along a branch looking for food. The mother mouse, called Impuku, a kindly creature who was always willing to help, stopped. "What is the matter?" she asked. "You look terrified!" "I have just s-s-seen a terrible mon-n-nster," sobbed Monty. "It had a blue-orange head and it stuck its tongue out." Monty's paws were shaking so much he couldn't move. Impuku smiled gently. "He does look frightening but he won't harm you. Come on out. We must move on. This is the Yellowwood Tree which the children love so much. They will soon come here to play." Monty climbed down carefully. "I was having an adventure, but 1 am too scared to go on now," he moaned. "My babies would like to meet you, why don't you come with me?" offered Impuku kindly. "I would love to," chattered Monty, cheering up. "I don't know many animals in Kirstenbosch yet."

Jabbering all the time, he followed Impuku out from under the tree, clambered over some more plants, and found himself down by some rocks beside a lovely cool stream. Hopping about, swinging from the fern fronds and nibbling titbits, were Impuku's four children. They squeaked excitedly when they saw their visitor and crowded around Monty. They couldn't wait to touch his long, grey tail and climb on his back. 10

While playing on the grassy banks with the young field mice, Monty spied a large raft of tree bark drifting downstream. The stream was flowjng quite fast after all the winter rain. All of the youngsters hopped onto the bark to float down the stream. Splashing and frolicking, the happy crew didn't notice the sharp drop ahead where the water went under a stone bridge. "Look out!" squealed Impuku, who had been watching out of the corner of her eye as she repaired her nest. The mice jumped just in time to grab the overhanging grass nearby, but Monty was too late.

Before he knew what was happening, he was swept under the bridge. Spluttering and gurgling, he tried to keep his head above water. He was doing well until one of his legs became entangled in a plastic bag that was floating down the stream. As the bag began to fill with water, the young mongoose felt himself being sucked under. He was terrified. His heart pounded as he fought for his breath. "Help! Help! Bushy! Somebody help me," he gasped. Nobody came. Suddenly he knew nothing more.

THE RESCUE The animals looking for Monty were getting desperate. They had split up into pairs, each covering a different part of the gardens. Some searched the thatching grass near the pond. Others checked in the Fragrance and Herb gardens. The squirrel, who always panicked, rushed around the Oak Tree, shrieking loudly for the young mongoose.

Monty's mother put her head in her paws and sobbed. Bushy had joined Impangele. Together they looked up and down the trees and in and out of the bushes and flowers . They felt ready to give up, when suddenly they heard a whooshing sound.

"Look over there," screeched Impangele, her wing pointing towards a rocky pool in the stream.

With a large leap, Bushy was alongside the water. He saw a paw sticking out of a partly hidden plastic bag. He struggled to pull the bag qut of the water. Tearing it open with his sharp teeth, he shook it hard. A bedraggled mongoose fell to the ground. "Monty, come on Monty, please be alright." Bushy panicked. He took Monty by the scruff of his neck and with the guineafowl's help, managed to roll Monty onto his tummy and thump him on the back. Water poured from his mouth as the poor little mongoose began to splutter and cough. Monty didn't know where he was.

MONTY CELEBRATES HIS SURVIVAL

The commotion of the rescue had brought some of the other animals running to the pools. As Monty recovered he recognised his worried parents bending over him. They cuddled him and dried him. He whispered, "I don't think I will go on any more adventures on my own." Bushy handed him some Wild Jasmine and some Wild Sage to chew. "These will help you feel more relaxed and will stop you from getting sick. You will soon perk up," soothed his friend.

At last Monty felt well enough to move about. "That was a narrow escape. That bag could have killed me," he muttered. "This is the second time in one day that we animals have been hurt by human litter. I think the people need to be reminded of the rules of Kirstenbosch." Bushy hopped up onto the dustbin and dropped the bag into it. "That is where it belongs. Now, come on Monty, cheer up. We have a surprise for you."

Monty's eyes lit up. He loved surprises. Across the wooden bridge came Impangele and her family, the Cape Francolins, Impuku with a group of mice and even the fierce agama carrying a host of exciting titbits and presents to make him feel better. Soon all of the friends were having a wonderful party to celebrate his survival and Monty felt ready to continue his adventures in his famous garden home.

15 :

INTERESTING FACTS

Hello! I'm Monty, your friendly mongoose. Here is some additional information for those who want to know more. What is a botanical garden? A botanical garden is a place where plants are grown: to give people information about plants; to study and care for rare and endangered plants; to conduct scientific work on plants; to create a beautiful place for you to enjoy.

Kirstenbosch was the first major Botanical Garden to specialise in growing indigenous plants. These are plants that grow naturally in a country. We should all help to keep our gardens beautiful. The Cape Grey Mongoose (Urnhlangala) This is the mongoose we see darting between bushes and plants in the Kirstenbosch Gardens. It has a grizzled white and black coat. It is diurnal, that is, busy by day and resting at night, so we can see it usually in the early morning or evening. It sleeps under vegetation, in holes or under rocks. Its claws are not well developed so it cannot dig its own burrow. The female

leaves the nest, ~~~~~~~j~~~ only when -;; the babies ;.Ot- J.r _ _ are able to look after themselves. Grey Mongooses eat insects, rats and mice, reptiles and birds, and sometimes snakes. The American Grey Squirrel (Uno mats e) The American Grey Squirrel is an alien; it does not occur naturally in our country. It was introduced by Cecil John Rhodes in the early 1900s. It lives in Oak and Pine trees. It sleeps in holes in trees or constructs dreys about the size of a soccer ball in the branches of Oak and Pine trees. A drey is made of twigs, leaves and other soft material like rags, string and paper. This squirrel eats acorns, pine seeds, vegetables and fruit. The female has two litters a year and can have up to four babies at a time.

Pelargoniums There are approximately 160 species in this plant group or genus. Pelargonium capitatum, the rose-scented variety, has bright green, rosescented leaves which are used as a substitute for attar of roses, the expensive essence used in many perfumes. Pelargonium graveolens is also used in the perfume industry and for making pot-pourri. Scented flower attract bees and butterflies, which in turn pollinate the flowers. Rutaceae (Buchu / Citrus) Buchu is the Khoi (Hottentot) word for aromatic herbs. Many buchu plants are indigenous. There i'{t!>se-s<tOented are tiny glands PeV.n rgcrrd lU/P1I1( situated in the leaves of Buchu plants which secrete strongly scented oil. Real Buchu (Agathosma crenulata) is famous for its medicinal properties. It has a mass of pink and white flowers which attract bees in the spring. The False Buchu (Agathosma ovata) is a small bushy shrub. Animals are said to avoid it, perhaps because its leaves smell like sulphur.

Oleaceae (Olive family) J asminum multipartitum or Wild Jasmine is a dense rambling creeper. It produces white, star-shaped, sweetly scented flowers in spring/summer and attracts birds and insects. It is grown in the Herb Garden at Kirstenbosch and is said to have medicinal properties to soothe away tension.

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Can you help Monty and Bushy find their way to the bridge through the Fragrance Garden. Using a dice and counters play the Monty Maze Game with a friend . Colour the flowers and the path.

HERB SCONES

Herbs are used as medicines but also to flavour food. Show Monty Mongoose how to make these delicious herb scones. Ask your mum to help you.

You will need: (Ingredients) 1 cup flour 1 cup grated cheese 1 tsp mixed herbs 1 tsp chicken stock powder 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp mustard 1 egg, beaten 1/2 cup milk

What to do: (Method) 1. Turn on the oven to 200째C. 2. Put the flour, cheese, herbs, stock, baking powder and mustard in a bowl. 3. Add the egg and milk and stir with a wooden spoon. 4. Roll the dough lightly on a floured surface. 5. Cut out the scones using a cutter or glass. 6. Place the scones on a greased baking tray. 7. Bake in thepreheated oven for 10 minutes. Serve buttered or with a little grated cheese on top. Don't forget to save some for Monty, who loves little titbits!

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Help Monty and Bushy get rid of the litter around Lily Pond by finding: 1 ringpull 2 plastic bags 3 plastic bottles 4 tins 5 glass bottles Where do all these empty bottles, tins and packets really belong? Colour the picture.

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Join up all the dots and you will discover who is admiring a Pincushion!

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Colour his fur grey, his paws and nose dark brown, and his mouth red . Colour the flowers orange, the leaves green, and .11 the rocks light brown. .12

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A Pincushion is a type of Protea. Its botanical name is Leucospermum cordifolium. It flowers in spring.

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MONTY'S RULES FOR KIRSTENBOSCH

What is wrong in this picture? We must put our litter in the ...... .

Look at the pictogram rules of Kirstenbosch. Place a ring around the one that tells us not to litter.

Can you think of any rules that might help to protect the animals and plants in Kirstenbosch? Draw your own pictograms of your rules in the spaces provided. 23 .