number of species. Among these are the species which bear the name of
Hanumán, a Hindoo divinity, and are worshipped in his honour. The
protection these monkeys receive on account of the superstitions
prevalent concerning them, leads to their large increase in numbers and
to many inconveniences arising therefrom. It is said that if a traveller
should be unfortunate enough to offend one of these animals he is likely
enough to be followed by the whole party howling in a most hideous and
discordant manner, and pelting him with any missiles upon which they can
lay their hands. There are eighteen species of the Semnopithecus, all of
which are found in the East. Of these the Entellus is one of the best
known species. It is very susceptible to cold, and cannot live long in
Europe.
The Long-nosed Monkey.
The Long-nosed Monkey (_Semnopithecus Larvatus_) belongs to this family
and is distinguished, as its name implies, by the length of its
proboscis. This animal is described by Wallace as about the size of a
child of three years of age, while possessing a nose considerably longer
than that of any human adult. From the head to the tip of the tail the
proboscis monkey measures about four feet and a half. It is sometimes
called the Kahau from its cry which resembles the sound of that word. It
is said to hold its nose when leaping to protect it from being injured
by the branches of trees. The second genus of this family, of which
there are numerous species, belongs to Africa.
Cheek-pouched Monkeys.
The Cheek-pouched Monkeys form the third family of the quadrumana. They
include seven genera, and sixty or seventy species, of which five genera
belong to Africa and two to Asia and to the Malay Islands. Among the
better known of these species is the Talapoin of West Africa; the Diana
monkey and the Mona (Africa); the little White-nosed monkey (Guinea);
the Grivet (Nubia and Abyssinia); the Green monkey (Cape de Verds); the
Patas (Senegal); the Malbrouck monkey; and the Vervet monkey (South
Africa). The Green monkey and the Vervet monkey are those most commonly
seen in England. One of the best known members of this family is the
Baboon.
The Baboon.
The baboon is found in many parts of Africa, and one of its species in
Arabia. It is of the genus _cynocephalus_, and some of its species
attain to considerable size; the head and face of one species resembling
those of a dog, it is sometimes called the dog-faced baboon. The baboon
herds in large numbers, and is said to make apparently organized attacks
upon villages during the absence of the peasants in harvest time,
placing sentinels on the look out, to apprise them of danger, while they
visit the houses and take possession of all the food they can find. They
are cunning and powerful, and formidable in combat, but, greedy in
habit, they eat to excess, and when gorged to satiety fall an easy prey
to their enemies. In their wild state they feed on berries and bulbous
roots, but when proximity to civilisation gives them wider opportunity,
they show their appreciation of a more varied menu. Among the more
familiar species of the baboon are the _Chackma_, the _Drill_, the
_Mandrill_, the _Anubis_, the _Babouin_, and the _Sphinx_, all of which
belong to the West of Africa.
The Arabian Baboon.
The Arabian baboon is an animal with a history. It was worshipped by the
Egyptians, who embalmed its body after death and set apart portions of
their cemeteries for its use. Sacred to Thoth, the Egyptian Hermes, the
God of letters, the baboon sometimes represents that deity in Egyptian
sculptures, where it is usually figured in a sitting posture, the
attitude in which its body was generally embalmed. The baboon was also
held as emblematic of the Moon, and honoured symbolically in other
connections. It is commonly represented in judgment scenes of the dead
with a pair of scales in front of it, Thoth being supposed to exercise
important duties in the final judgment of men. The baboon was held
especially sacred at Hermopolis. According to Sir J. G. Wilkinson the
Egyptians trained baboons to useful offices, making them torch-bearers
at their feasts and festivals.
The Imitative Faculty of the Baboon.
Like others of the monkey tribes the baboon shows an extraordinary
faculty for imitation. Captain Browne in his "Characteristics of
Animals" says: "The following circumstance is truly characteristic of
the imitative powers of the baboon:--The army of Alexander the Great
marched in complete battle-array into a country inhabited by great
numbers of baboons, and encamped there for the night. The next morning,
when the army was about to proceed on its march, the soldiers saw, at
some distance, an enormous number of baboons, drawn up in rank and file,
like a small army, with such regularity, that the Macedonians, who could
have no idea of such a man[oe]uvre, imagined at first that it was the
enemy drawn up to receive them."
The Chackma Baboon.
The chackma lives among the mountains of the Cape of Good Hope, where he
attains about the size of an English mastiff and even greater strength.
He descends to the plains on foraging expeditions, and, when not
attacked, will usually make off on the approach of danger, but if
aroused to anger can both show and use his teeth, and is far superior to
the average English boy in throwing stones.
The Baboon's Utility.
Le Vaillant gives an interesting account of a chackma baboon which
accompanied him through South Africa, and which bore the name of Kees.
He says: "I made him my taster. Whenever we found fruits or roots, with
which my Hottentots were unacquainted, we did not touch them till Kees
had tasted them. If he threw them away, we concluded that they were
either of a disagreeable flavour, or of a pernicious quality, and left
them untasted. The monkey possesses a peculiar property, wherein he
differs greatly from other animals, and resembles man,--namely, that he
is by nature equally gluttonous and inquisitive. Without necessity, and
without appetite, he tastes every thing that falls in his way, or that
is given to him. But Kees had a still more valuable quality,--he was an
excellent sentinel; for, whether by day or night, he immediately sprang
up on the slightest appearance of danger. By his cry, and the symptoms
of fear which he exhibited, we were always apprized of the approach of
an enemy, even though the dogs perceived nothing of it. The latter, at
length, learned to rely upon him with such confidence, that they slept
on in perfect tranquillity. I often took Kees with me when I went
hunting; and when he saw me preparing for sport, he exhibited the most
lively demonstrations of joy. On the way, he would climb into the trees
to look for gum, of which he was very fond. Sometimes he discovered to
me honey, deposited in the clefts of rocks, or hollow trees. But, if he
happened to have met with neither honey nor gum, and his appetite had
become sharp by his running about, I always witnessed a very ludicrous
scene. In those cases, he looked for roots, which he ate with great
greediness, especially a particular kind, which, to his cost, I also
found to be very well tasted and refreshing, and therefore insisted upon
sharing with him. In order to draw these roots out of the ground, he
employed a very ingenious method, which afforded me much amusement. He
laid hold of the herbage with his teeth, stemmed his fore feet against
the ground, and drew back his head, which gradually pulled out the root.
But if this expedient, for which he employed his whole strength, did not
succeed, he laid hold of the leaves as before, as close to the ground as
possible, and then threw himself heels over head, which gave such a
concussion to the root, that it never failed to come out.
The Tame Baboon.
"Serpents excepted, there were no animals of whom Kees stood in such
great dread as of his own species,--perhaps owing to a consciousness of
loss of natural capacity. Sometimes he heard the cry of other apes among
the mountains, and, terrified as he was, he yet answered them. But, if
they approached nearer, and he saw any of them, he fled, with a hideous
cry, crept between our legs, and trembled over his whole body. It was
very difficult to compose him, and it required some time before he
recovered from his fright.
The Cunning of the Baboon
"Like all other animals, Kees was addicted to stealing. He understood
admirably well how to loose the strings of a basket, in order to take
victuals out of it, especially milk, of which he was very fond. My
people chastised him for these thefts; but that did not make him amend
his conduct. I myself sometimes whipped him; but then he ran away, and
did not return again to the tent until it grew dark. Once, as I was
about to dine, and had put the beans, which I had boiled for myself,
upon a plate, I heard the voice of a bird with which I was not
acquainted. I left my dinner standing, seized my gun, and ran out of the
tent. After the space of about a quarter of an hour I returned, with the
bird in my hand, but, to my astonishment, found not a single bean upon
the plate. Kees had stolen them all, and taken himself out of the way.
When he had committed any trespass of this kind, he used always, about
the time when I drank tea, to return quietly, and seat himself in his
usual place, with every appearance of innocence, as if nothing had
happened; but this evening he did not let himself be seen. And, on the
following day, also, he was not seen by any of us; and, in consequence,
I began to grow seriously uneasy about him, and apprehensive that he
might be lost for ever. But, on the third day, one of my people, who had
been to fetch water, informed me that he had seen Kees in the
neighbourhood, but that, as soon as the animal espied him, he had
concealed himself again. I immediately went out and beat the whole
neighbourhood with my dogs. All at once, I heard a cry, like that which
Kees used to make, when I returned from my shooting, and had not taken
him with me. I looked about, and at length espied him, endeavouring to
hide himself behind the large branches of a tree. I now called to him in
a friendly tone of voice, and made motions to him to come down to me.
But he could not trust me, and I was obliged to climb up the tree to
fetch him. He did not attempt to fly, and we returned together to my
quarters; here he expected to receive his punishment; but I did nothing,
as it would have been of no use.
The Loyalty of the Baboon.
"An officer, wishing to put the fidelity of my baboon to the test,
pretended to strike me. At this he flew in a violent rage, and, from
that time, could never endure the sight of the officer. If he only saw
him at a distance he began to cry, and make all kinds of grimaces, which
evidently showed that he wished to revenge the insult that had been done
to me; he ground his teeth; and endeavoured, with all his might, to fly
at his face, but that was out of his power, as he was chained down. The
offender several times endeavoured, in vain, to conciliate him, by
offering him dainties, but he remained long implacable.
The Intelligence of the Baboon.
"When any eatables were pilfered, at my quarters, the fault was always
laid upon Kees; and rarely was the accusation unfounded. For a time the
eggs, which a hen laid me, were constantly stolen, and I wished to
ascertain whether I had to attribute this loss also to him. For this
purpose I went one morning to watch him, and waited till the hen
announced, by her cackling, that she had laid an egg. Kees was sitting
upon my vehicle; but, the moment he heard the hen's voice, he leapt
down, and was running to fetch the egg. When he saw me, he suddenly
stopped, and affected a careless posture, swaying himself backwards upon
his hind legs, and assuming a very innocent look; in short, he employed
all his art to deceive me with respect to his design. His hypocritical
man[oe]uvres only confirmed my suspicions, and, in order, in my turn, to
deceive him, I pretended not to attend to him, and turned my back to the
bush where the hen was cackling, upon which he immediately sprang to the
place. I ran after him, and came up to him at the moment when he had
broken the egg and was swallowing it. Having caught the thief in the
fact, I gave him a good beating upon the spot, but this severe
chastisement did not prevent his soon stealing fresh-laid eggs again. As
I was convinced that I should never be able to break Kees off his
natural vices, and that, unless I chained him up every morning, I should
never get an egg, I endeavoured to accomplish my purpose in another
manner; I trained one of my dogs, as soon as the hen cackled, to run to
the nest, and bring me the egg, without breaking it. In a few days, the
dog had learned his lesson; but Kees, as soon as he heard the hen
cackle, ran with him to the nest. A contest now took place between them,
who should have the egg; often the dog was foiled, although he was the
stronger of the two. If he gained the victory, he ran joyfully to me
with the egg, and put it into my hand. Kees, nevertheless, followed him,
and did not cease to grumble and make threatening grimaces at him, till
he saw me take the egg,--as if he was comforted for the loss of his
booty by his adversary's not retaining it for himself. If Kees had got
hold of the egg, he endeavoured to run with it to a tree, where, having
devoured it, he threw down the shells upon his adversary, as if to make
game of him. Kees was always the first awake in the morning, and, when
it was the proper time, he awoke the dogs, who were accustomed to his
voice, and, in general, obeyed, without hesitation, the slightest
motions by which he communicated his orders to them, immediately taking
their posts about the tent and carriage, as he directed them."
The Bonnet Monkey.
The bonnet monkey is of the genus macacus, and is to be found in many
parts of India. It is characterized by a bonnet, or cap of hair, which
radiates from the centre of the crown. It is known as the _Macacus
Radiatus_. Other species of the genus macacus are the _Rhesus_ monkey,
the _Wanderoo_, the _Barbary Ape_ or _Magot_, and the _Macaque_.
Indian Monkeys.
Many stories are told of the audacity of the Indian monkeys in which
those of the genus macacus come in for more than honourable mention.
Whether in their native haunts, or in European menageries, they are an
endless source of amusement and not unfrequently one of annoyance. In
their free state, they tax the ingenuity of native and European alike by
their mischievous habits and thievish propensities. They climb upon the
tops of the Bazaars and the slightest relapse from vigilance on the part
of the shopkeepers is sure to be followed by the loss or spoliation of
their wares. A common defence against these unwelcome intruders is to
cover the roofs with a certain prickly shrub, the thorns of which
command respect even from monkeys. Mrs. Bowdich says: "In some places
they are even fed, encouraged, and allowed to live on the roofs of
houses;" but this would be where the goods of the householder were
beyond their reach. "If a man wishes to revenge himself for any injury
committed upon him," says Mrs. Bowdich, "he has only to sprinkle some
rice or corn upon the top of his enemy's house or granary just before
the rain sets in, and the monkeys will assemble upon it, eat all they
can find outside, and then pull off the tiles to get at that which has
fallen through the crevices. This, of course, gives access to the
torrents which fall in such countries, and house, furniture and stores
are all ruined." Quoting from another writer, Mrs. Bowdich gives an
amusing description of the way in which one of these monkeys watched his
opportunity for making his descent upon a sweet-stuff shop. Taking up a
position opposite the shop, "he pretended to be asleep, but every now
and then softly raised his head to look at the tempting piles and the
owner of them, who sat smoking his pipe without symptoms even of a doze.
In half an hour the monkey got up, as if he were just awake, yawned,
stretched himself, and took another position a few yards off, where he
pretended to play with his tail, occasionally looking over his shoulder
at the coveted delicacies. At length the shopman gave signs of activity,
and the monkey was on the alert; the man went to his back room, the
monkey cleared the street at one bound, and in an instant stuffed his
pouches full of the delicious morsels. He had, however, overlooked some
hornets, which were regaling themselves at the same time. They resented
his disturbance, and the tormented monkey, in his hurry to escape, came
upon a thorn-covered roof, where he lay stung, torn, and bleeding. He
spurted the stolen bonbons from his pouches and barked hoarsely looking
the picture of misery. The noise of the tiles which he had dislodged in
his retreat brought out the inhabitants, and among them the vendor of
the sweets, with his turban unwound, and streaming two yards behind him.
All joined in laughing at the wretched monkey; but their religious
reverence for him induced them to go to his assistance: they picked out
his thorns and he limped away to the woods quite crestfallen."
The Monkey Outdone.
The writer, from whom Mrs. Bowdich quoted the above story, gives a
graphic account of the success of a stratagem he employed to rid himself
of the unwelcome visits of his monkey friends. "Although," says he, "a
good deal shyer of me than they were of the natives, I found no
difficulty in getting within a few yards of them; and when I lay still
among the brushwood they gambolled round me with as much freedom as if I
had been one of themselves. This happy understanding, however, did not
last long, and we soon began to urge war upon each other. The _casus
belli_ was a field of sugar-cane which I had planted on the newly
cleared jungle.
"Every beast of the field seemed leagued against this devoted patch of
sugar-cane. The wild elephants came and browzed in it; the jungle hogs
rooted it up, and munched it at their leisure; the jackals gnawed the
stalks into squash; and the wild deer ate the tops of the young plants.
Against all these marauders there was an obvious remedy,--to build a
stout fence round the cane-field. This was done accordingly; and a deep
trench dug outside, that even the wild elephant did not deem it prudent
to cross. The wild hogs came and inspected the trench and the palisades
beyond. A bristly old tusker was observed taking a survey of the
defences; but, after mature deliberation, he gave two short grunts, the
porcine (language), I imagined, for 'No go,' and took himself off at a
round trot, to pay a visit to my neighbour Ram Chunder, and inquire how
his little plot of sweet yams was coming on. The jackals sniffed at
every crevice, and determined to wait a bit; but the monkeys laughed the
whole entrenchment to scorn. Day after day was I doomed to behold my
canes devoured as fast as they ripened, by troops of jubilant monkeys.
It was of no use attempting to drive them away. When disturbed, they
merely retreated to the nearest tree, dragging whole stalks of
sugar-cane along with them, and then spurted the chewed fragments in my
face, as I looked up at them. This was adding insult to injury; and I
positively began to grow bloodthirsty at the idea of being outwitted by
monkeys. The case between us might have been stated in this way. 'I
have, at much trouble and expense, cleared and cultivated this jungle
land,' said I. 'More fool you,' said the monkeys. 'I have planted and
watched over these sugar-canes.' 'Watched! Ah, ah! so have we, for the
matter of that.' 'But surely I have a right to reap what I sowed.'
'Don't see it,' said the monkeys; 'the jungle, by rights prescriptive
and indefeasible, is ours, and has been so ever since the days of Ram
Hanumán of the long tail. If you cultivate the jungle without our
consent, you must look to the consequences. If you don't like our
customs, you may get about your business. We don't want you.' I kept
brooding over this mortifying view of the matter, until one morning I
hatched revenge in a practicable shape. A tree, with about a score of
monkeys on it, was cut down, and half a dozen of the youngest were
caught as they attempted to escape. A large pot of _ghow_ (treacle) was
then mixed with as much tarter emetic as could be spared from the
medicine chest, and the young hopefuls, after being carefully painted
over with the compound, were allowed to return to their distressed
relatives, who, as soon as they arrived, gathered round them and
commenced licking them with the greatest assiduity. The results I had
anticipated were not long in making their appearance. A more melancholy
sight it was impossible to behold; but so efficacious was this
treatment, that for more than two years I hardly ever saw a monkey in
the neighbourhood."
The Monkey Aroused.
Tavernier was once travelling from Agra to Surat with the English
president, when passing within a few miles of Amenabad through a forest
of mangoes, they experienced the danger of provoking such companies. He
says, "We saw a vast number of very large apes, male and female, many of
the latter having their young in their arms. We were each of us in our
coaches; and the English president stopped his to tell me that he had a
very fine new gun; and knowing that I was a good marksman, desired me to
try it, by shooting one of the apes. One of my servants, who was a
native of the country, made a sign to me not to do it; and I did all
that was in my power to dissuade the gentleman from his design, but to
no purpose; for he immediately levelled his piece, and shot a she ape,
who fell through the branches of the tree on which she was sitting, her
young ones tumbling at the same time out of her arms on the ground. We
presently saw that happen which my servant apprehended; for all the
apes, to the number of sixty, came immediately down from the trees, and
attacked the president's coach with such fury that they must infallibly
have destroyed him if all who were present had not flown to his relief,
and by drawing up the windows, and posting all the servants about the
coach, protected him from their resentment." That diplomacy is better
than war in dealing with bands of monkeys is shown by comparing the
results of the foregoing experiences.
The Monkeys' Affection.
That monkeys are capable of very poignant feeling is shown by the
following pathetic story. Mr. Forbes, in his "Oriental Memoirs,"
says:--"On a shooting party one of my friends killed a female monkey,
and carried it to his tent, which was soon surrounded by forty or fifty
of the tribe, who made a great noise, and in a menacing posture advanced
towards it. On presenting his fowling-piece they retreated, but one
stood his ground, chattering and menacing in a furious manner. He at
length came close to the tent door, and finding that his threatenings
were of no avail, began a lamentable moaning, and by every expression of
grief and supplication seemed to beg the body of the deceased. On this
it was given to him. He took it up in his arms, eagerly pressed it to
his bosom, and carried it off in a sort of triumph to his expecting
companions. The artless behaviour of this poor animal wrought so
powerfully on the sportsmen that they resolved never more to level a gun
at one of the monkey tribe."
American Monkeys.
To visit the family of the Cebidæ we have to cross the Atlantic Ocean,
and here we find characteristics with which the monkeys of the East are
unfamiliar, while we miss others which are common to the monkeys of the
old world. In passing from East to West we lose the cheek-pouch
characteristic and we find that of the prehensile tail. There are more
than eighty species in the family of the Cebidæ, divided into ten genera
and grouped in four sub-families. The first of the sub-families includes
the monkeys with prehensile tails.
The Capuchin Monkey.
The capuchins belong to the genus _Cebus_ which includes the majority of
American monkeys. There are a number of species of which the Brown
Capuchin (Brazil), the Wheeper Capuchin (Brazil), and the White-throated
Capuchin (Central America) are the best known.
The Spider Monkeys.