Of this numerous and frolicsome family, there is a great variety in the
hot regions of both continents. In some portions of South America, they
enliven the landscape by their gambols, and make the forests resound
with their cries. They are the smallest and most lively of the
four-handed family, and in all caravans, they are the favorites of
young observers.
_The Fair Monkey._--This is one of the most beautiful of the tribe. Its
head is small and round: its face and hands are of scarlet, so defined
and vivid that it has more the appearance of art than nature. Its body
and limbs are covered with long hairs of the purest white, and of a
shining and silvery brightness: the tail is of a deep chestnut color,
very glistening, and considerably longer than the body. This animal is
somewhat larger than the striated monkey. It is an inhabitant of South
America, and is frequently to be met with on the banks of the Amazon.
The following circumstance, exhibiting the fickleness of the fair
monkey, was communicated to Mr. Bewick by Sir John Trevelyan. "Pug was
a gentleman of excellent humor, and adored by the crew; and, to make
him perfectly happy, as they imagined, they procured him a wife. For
some weeks he was a devoted husband, and showed her every attention and
respect. He then grew cool, and became jealous of any kind of civility
shown her by the master of the vessel, and began to use her with much
cruelty. His treatment made her wretched and dull; though she bore the
spleen of her husband with that fortitude which is characteristic of
the female sex of the human species. Pug, however, like the lords of
creation, was up to deceit, and practised pretended kindness to his
spouse, to effect a diabolical scheme, which he seemed to premeditate.
One morning, when the sea ran very high, he seduced her aloft, and drew
her observation to an object at some distance from the yard-arm; her
attention being fixed, he all of a sudden applied his paw to her rear,
and canted her into the sea, where she fell a victim to his cruelty.
This seemed to afford him high gratification, for he descended in great
spirits."
_A Trick._--In 1818, a vessel that sailed between Whitehaven, in
England, and Jamaica, embarked on her homeward voyage, and, among other
passengers, carried Mrs. B., and an infant five weeks old. One
beautiful afternoon, the captain perceived a distant sail; and, after
he had gratified his curiosity, he politely offered the glass to the
lady, that she might obtain a clear view of the object. She had the
baby in her arms, but now she wrapped her shawl about it, and placed it
on a sofa, upon which she had been sitting.
Scarcely had she applied her eye to the glass, when the helmsman
exclaimed, "See what the mischievous monkey has done!" The reader may
judge of the mother's feelings, when, on turning round, she beheld the
animal in the act of transporting her child apparently up to the top of
the mast. The monkey was a very large one, and so strong and active,
that, while it grasped the infant firmly with one arm, it climbed the
shrouds nimbly by the other, totally unembarrassed by the weight of its
burden.
One look was enough for the terrified mother; and had it not been for
the assistance of those around her, she would have fallen prostrate on
the deck, where she was soon afterwards stretched, apparently a
lifeless corpse. The sailors could climb as well as the monkey, but the
latter watched their motions narrowly; and, as it ascended higher up
the mast the moment they attempted to put a foot on the shroud, the
captain became afraid that it would drop the child, and endeavor to
escape by leaping from one mast to another.
In the mean time, the little innocent was heard to cry; and though many
thought it was suffering pain, their fears on this point were speedily
dissipated, when they observed the monkey imitating exactly the motions
of a nurse, by dandling, soothing, and caressing, its charge, and even
endeavoring to hush it to sleep.
From the deck, the lady was conveyed to the cabin, and gradually
restored to her senses. In the mean time, the captain ordered the men
to conceal themselves carefully below, and quietly took his own station
on the cabin stairs, where he could see all that passed, without being
seen. The plan happily succeeded. The monkey, on perceiving that the
coast was clear, cautiously descended from his lofty perch, and
replaced the infant on the sofa, cold, fretful, and perhaps frightened,
but, in every other respect, as free from harm as when he took it up.
The captain had now a most grateful office to perform; the babe was
restored to its mother's arms, amidst tears, and thanks, and blessings.
_A Tragedy in the Woods._--An Englishman travelling in India tells
the following interesting, though painful, story:--
"I was strolling through a wood, with my gun on my shoulders, my
thoughts all centred in Europe, when I heard a curious noise in a tree
above me. I looked up, and found that the sounds proceeded from a white
monkey, who skipped from branch to branch, chattering with delight at
beholding a 'fellow-creature,' for so he decidedly seemed to consider
me. For a few moments I took no notice of his antics, and walked
quietly along, till suddenly a large branch fell at my feet, narrowly
escaping my head. I again paused, and found that the missile had been
dropped by my talkative friend. Without consideration, I instantly
turned round and fired at him.
"The report had scarcely sounded, when I heard the most piercing, the
most distressing cry, that ever reached my ears. An agonized shriek,
like that of a young infant, burst from the little creature that I had
wounded. It was within thirty paces of me. I could see the wretched
animal, already stained with blood, point to its wound, and again hear
its dreadful moan.
"The agony of a hare is harrowing, and I have seen a young sportsman
turn pale on hearing it. The present cry was, however, more
distressing. I turned round, and endeavored to hurry away. This,
however, I found no easy task; for, as I moved forward, the unhappy
creature followed me, springing as well as he could from bough to
bough, uttering a low, wailing moan, and pointing at the same time to
the spot whence the blood trickled. Then, regarding me steadily and
mournfully in the face, it seemed to reproach me with my wanton
cruelty. Again I hastened on, but still it pursued me. Never, in my
life, did I feel so much for a dumb animal: never did I so keenly
repent an act of uncalled-for barbarity.
"Determined not to allow the poor monkey thus to linger in torture, and
at once to end the annoying scene, I suddenly came to a halt; and,
lowering my gun, which was only single-barrelled, I was about to reload
it for the purpose of despatching the maimed creature, when, springing
from a tree, it ran up to within a dozen paces of me, and began to cry
so piteously, and roll itself in agony, occasionally picking up earth,
with which it attempted to stanch the blood by stuffing it into the
wound, that, in spite of my resolution, when I fired, I was so nervous,
I almost missed my aim, inflicting another wound, which broke the
animal's leg, but nothing more. Again, its piercing shriek rang in my
ears. Horrified beyond endurance, I threw down my gun, and actually
fled.
"In about half an hour, I returned, for the purpose of getting my gun,
fully expecting that the poor animal had left the spot. What, then, was
my surprise, to find a crowd of monkeys surrounding the wretched
sufferer, and busily employed in tearing open its wounds! A shout drove
them all away, except the dying animal. I advanced. The little creature
was rolling in agony. I took up my gun, which lay beside him, and
fancied he cast one look of supplication on me--one prayer to be
relieved from his misery. I did not hesitate; with one blow of the
butt-end, I dashed out his brains. Then turning round, I slowly
returned to my quarters, more profoundly dispirited than I had felt for
many months.--Take my advice, reader; if you must live in India, never
shoot a monkey."
_Miscellaneous Anecdotes._--We are told of a king of Egypt who was so
successful in training monkeys to the art of dancing, that they were
long admired for the dexterity and gracefulness of their movements. On
one occasion, his majesty had a ball, at which a vast number of these
animals "tripped it on the light, fantastic toe." A citizen, who
enjoyed fun, threw a few handfuls of walnuts into the ball-room, while
these picturesque animals were engaged in a high dance, upon which they
forgot all decorum, and sprang to the booty.
A monkey, which was kept on board a British frigate, was the favorite
of all on board but the midshipmen. This animal knew well of a large
store of apples being in a locker in the wardroom, which was kept
constantly secure, in consequence of his propensity for plundering it.
He, however, fell upon ways and means to secure his booty. He procured
a piece of wadding, swung himself from the stern gallery by one hand,
and, with this in the other, broke a pane of glass in the wardroom
window; and, after carefully picking out all the broken pieces of
glass, made his entrance, where he gorged himself so fully, that he was
unable to effect his retreat by the place where he entered. He was
caught in the fact, and soundly flogged.
A singular piece of ingenuity was once practised by a monkey, in
defending himself against fire-arms. This animal belonged to Captain
M----, of the navy, who had also another small monkey, of which he was
very fond, from its lively playfulness. The larger animal was often
exceedingly troublesome, and could not be driven from his cabin,
without _blazing_ at him with a pistol loaded with powder and currant
jelly,--a discharge which produced a painful and alarming effect. The
old monkey was at first astounded at the sight of the weapon, which
stung him so sore, that he at last learned a mode of defence; for,
snatching up the little favorite, he used to interpose him as a shield
between the pistol and his body.
In one of his excursions, Le Vaillant killed a female monkey, which
carried a young one on her back. The latter continued to cling to her
dead parent till they reached their evening quarters; and the
assistance of a negro was even then required to disengage it. No
sooner, however, did it feel itself alone, than it darted towards a
wooden block, on which was placed the wig of Le Vaillant's father. To
this it clung most pertinaciously by its fore paws; and such was the
force of this deceptive instinct, that it remained in the same position
for about three weeks, all this time evidently mistaking the wig for
its mother. It was fed, from time to time, with goat's milk; and, at
length, emancipated itself voluntarily, by quitting the fostering care
of the peruke. The confidence which it ere long assumed, and the
amusing familiarity of its manners, soon rendered it a favorite with
the family. The unsuspecting naturalist had, however, introduced a wolf
in sheep's clothing into his dwelling; for, one morning, on entering
his chamber, the door of which had been imprudently left open, he
beheld his young favorite making a hearty breakfast on a collection of
insects which he had made. In the first transports of his anger, he
resolved to strangle the monkey in his arms; but his rage immediately
gave way to pity, when he perceived that the crime of its voracity had
carried the punishment along with it. In eating the beetles, it had
swallowed several of the pins on which they were transfixed. Its agony,
consequently, became great, and all his efforts were unable to preserve
its life.