This animal (_fig. 205._) is a native of the same country, and is
nearly of the same size as the macaque; but the body is longer, the
face not so ugly, and the hair much finer. He is remarkable for the
colour of his hair, which is of so brilliant a red as to make him
appear as if he were painted. We have seen two of these animals much
varied; the first had a line of black hairs above the eyes, extending
from ear to ear. The second differed from the first only by the colour
of this line which was white. The hair about the cheeks and under the
chin of both was long, which made them large beards: but the colour
of the first was yellow, and the other white. This variety seemed to
indicate others in the colour of the hair: and I am inclined to think,
that the monkey spoken of by Marmol, which is said to be of the colour
of the wild cat, and to be a native of Africa, is only a variety of
the Patas. These monkeys are not so subtle as the other kinds, but
are possessed of an extreme curiosity. "I have seen them, says Brue,
descend from the top of very high trees, to the extremities of the
branches to view the vessels on the water; they admired them for
some time and seemed to discourse with each other about what they had
seen; and then quit their stations for their companions, who came
after to have the same sight. Some even became so familiar as to throw
branches at the Frenchman, who returned their salute by the shots of
their muskets; some were killed others wounded, and the rest were
thrown into the utmost consternation. One party uttered most hideous
cries, while another picked up stones to throw at their enemies, but
perceiving at length, how unequal the battle was, they desisted, and
prudently retired."
It is to be presumed, that it is this species of monkey which le Maire
speaks of. "It is hardly possible to express, says this traveller,
the havock these animals make in Senegal, when the rice, millet, and
other grains, on which they feed, are ripe. They assemble together
in companies of forty or fifty: one of them remains as centinel on a
tree, while the rest commit their depredations. As soon as the centinel
perceives any person near, he utters a loud cry, as a signal to the
rest, who immediately obey and scamper off with their plunder, leaping
from tree to tree with prodigious agility. The females, who carry their
young clinging to their breasts, retreat in the same manner as the
rest, and leap as if they were not incumbered with any burthen."
_Distinctive Characters of this Species._
The patas has pouches on each side of his cheeks, and callosities on
his posteriors. His tail is as long as both his head and body: the
crown of his head is flat. His muzzle, body, and legs, are long. He has
black hair on the nose, and a narrow line of the same colour over the
eyes, extending the breadth of the face. The hair on the upper parts of
his body is of a reddish colour; and that of the lower, as the throat,
breast, and belly, of a yellowish hue. There is a variety in this
species, with respect to the colour of the line over the eyes, which is
black in some, and white in others. They do not make grimaces when they
are angry, like other monkeys. They walk on all fours more frequently
than erect. They are from a foot and a half to two feet long, from
the muzzle to the origin of the tail. The females are subject to a
periodical emanation.