Chapter II: Introduction: Science (1)

Science is classified truth. Men study the heavenly bodies, note their characteristics, observe their movements, and define their relationships; and having verified their deductions by repeated experiments, arrange the truths they have discovered into systems, and by classifying their knowledge reduce it to a science: this science they call Astronomy. Astronomy is thus the classified arrangement of all known truths concerning the heavenly bodies. Geology, similarly, is the classified arrangement of all known truths concerning the material structure of the Earth.

The Kingdoms of Nature.

The Natural World has been variously divided for the purposes of study. Linnæus divided it into three kingdoms; (I) the Mineral kingdom (II) the Vegetable kingdom and (III) the Animal kingdom, thus naming the three kingdoms in the order of their natural geneses. The Mineral kingdom comprises the _inorganic_ forms of nature,--those which have no organism and which can only increase by external addition. The Vegetable and Animal kingdoms comprise the organic life of nature,--those forms which are provided with means for promoting their own development and propagating species. The Vegetable kingdom, while easily distinguishable from the Mineral kingdom is in some of its forms so similar to the lower forms of animal life as to suggest relationship between the two; while the Animal kingdom, beginning with the lower forms which approximate so closely to vegetable forms, embraces the whole range of animal life and reaches its highest order in man. The science which treats of organic life as a whole is called Biology, while its two departments are separately known as Botany and Zoology. Natural History is a general term popularly applied to the study of Zoology.

Zoology.

Zoology is the science of animal life. It deals with the origin of species, and the evolution of the varied forms of animated nature, and treats of the structure, habits, and environment of all living creatures. Scientifically speaking, Zoology is the classified arrangement of all known truths concerning all animal organisms.

Classification.

For convenience in study the Animal kingdom is divided into seven Sub-kingdoms, each of which is further divided into classes. These Sub-kingdoms are known as: I Vertebrata, II Arthropoda, III Mollusca, IV Echinodermata, V Vermes, VI C[oe]lenterata, and VII Protozoa. Sub-kingdom I, Vertebrata, includes all animals distinguished by the possession of Vertebræ or back-bones, and its classes are I _Mammalia_:--animals that suckle their young; II _Aves_:--Birds; III _Reptilia_:--Reptiles; IV _Batrachia_:--Frogs, Toads, etc.; and V _Pisces_:--Fishes. Sub-kingdom II, Arthropoda, includes the Insect families, etc., which it also divides into classes. Sub-kingdom III, Mollusca, animals of the cuttle-fish order, including limpets, oysters, and slugs. Sub-kingdom IV, Echinodermata, a large number of marine animals, such as the star-fish and the sea-urchin. Sub-kingdom V, Vermes, the various classes of worms. Sub-kingdom VI, C[oe]lenterata, corals and sponges, etc., etc., and Sub-kingdom VII, Protozoa, protoplasms and the lowest forms of animal life. This volume is devoted to the illustration of the first of these sub-kingdoms, the Vertebrata, with its five classes, Mammalia, Aves, Reptilia, Batrachia and Pisces.

THE ANIMAL KINGDOM.

SUB-KINGDOM I--VERTEBRATA.

CLASS I--MAMMALIA.

ORDER I.

PRIMATES.

The most perfect of all animals is man, for besides having a marvellous animal organism he possesses reason, which so far transcends the highest instincts of other animals, that it places him in a category by himself.

SUB-ORDER I.

Man-shaped Animals.

Next to man it is convenient to deal with man-shaped animals, (_anthropoidea_)--those animals which most resemble him in external appearance and internal organism. This brings us to the order called _Quadrumana_ or four-handed animals which include Lemurs and their allied forms, and manlike monkeys. Monkeys are divided into five families, one at least of which has to be further divided into sub-families to accommodate its variety. These families are: I The Apes; II The Sacred Monkeys; III The Cheek-pouched Monkeys; IV The Cebidae, with its several sub-families, and V The Marmosets. The first three of these families inhabit the old world, the last two belong to the new.

The Ape Family.

The family of the Apes includes the Gorilla, the Chimpanzee, the Orang-utan or mias, the Gibbons or long-armed Apes, and the Siamang; of these the Gorilla and the Chimpanzee belong to the West of Africa, the Orang-utan to Borneo, the Gibbons to Assam, the Malay Peninsula, Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Cambodia and Hainan, and the Siamang to Java and Sumatra.

The Gorilla.

The gorilla is the largest of the ape family, and sometimes attains to the height of six feet. It is also the fiercest, if not the strongest, of man-shaped animals. It belongs to the genus Troglodytes of which the chimpanzee is the only other species, and it inhabits a somewhat limited range of Equatorial Africa, where it makes for itself nests of sticks and foliage, among the lower branches of trees, and lives upon berries, nuts and fruits. Though apparently a vegetarian the gorilla has enormous physical strength. His arms bear much the same proportion to the size of his body as those of man do relatively, but his lower limbs are shorter, and have no calves, the leg growing thicker from the knee downwards. The hands are broad, thick, and of great length of palm, and are remarkable for their strength; the feet, broader than those of man, and more like hands, are very large and of great power. The gorilla uses his hands when walking or running, but as his arms are longer than those of other apes, and his legs shorter he stoops less than they do in moving from place to place. The gorilla herds in small companies, or rather families, one adult male being the husband and father of the band. The females are much smaller than the males.

The Ancestors of the Gorilla.

The gorilla, though rediscovered in recent years, was apparently known to the ancients. Hanno, a Carthaginian admiral who flourished some five or six hundred years B.C., once sailed from Carthage with a fleet of sixty vessels and a company of 30,000 persons, under instructions to proceed past the Pillars of Hercules (the Straits of Gibraltar), with a view to planting colonies on the western coast of Africa. In the course of their travels they discovered several islands inhabited by wild creatures with hairy bodies. "There were," says the ancient navigator, "many more females than males, all equally covered with hair on all parts of the body. The interpreters called them _gorillas_. On pursuing them, we could not succeed in taking a single male, they all escaped with astonishing swiftness, and threw stones at us; but we took three females, who defended themselves with so much violence, that we were obliged to kill them; but we brought their skins, stuffed with straw, to Carthage." Professor Owen remarks upon this that "though such creatures would suggest to Hanno and his crew no other idea of their nature than that of a kind of human being, yet the climbing faculty, the hairy body, and the skinning of the dead specimens strongly suggest that they were great apes. The fact that apes somewhat resembling the negroes, of human size and with hairy bodies, still exist on the west coast of Africa renders it highly probable that such were the creatures which Hanno saw, captured, and called 'gorullai'."

A Gorilla Hunt.

Paul du Chaillu, in his "Stories of the Gorilla Country," gives a graphic description of his first sight of these "wild men of the woods." He was inspecting the ruins of a native village with a party of Africans, when they discovered footprints which the natives immediately recognised as those of the gorilla. "It was," says he, "the first time I had seen the footprints of these wild men of the woods, and I cannot tell you how I felt. Here was I now, it seemed, on the point of meeting, face to face, that monster, of whose ferocity, strength and cunning, the natives had told me so much, and which no man before had hunted. By the tracks it was easy to know that there must have been several gorillas in company. We prepared at once to follow them. My men were remarkably silent, for they were going on an expedition of more than usual risk; for the male gorilla is literally the king of the forest--the king of the equatorial regions. He and the crested lion of Mount Atlas are the two fiercest and strongest beasts of that continent. The lion of South Africa cannot be compared with either for strength or courage. As we left the camp, the men and women left behind crowded together, with fear written on their faces. Miengai, Ngolai, and Makinda set out for the hunt in one party; myself and Yeava formed another. We determined to keep near each other, so that in case of trouble we might be at hand to help one another. For the rest silence and a sure aim were the only cautions to be given. I confess that I was never more excited in my life. For years I had heard of the terrible roar of the gorilla, of its vast strength, of its fierce courage when only wounded. I knew that we were about to pit ourselves against an animal which even the enormous leopards of the mountains fear, which the elephants let alone and which perhaps has driven away the lion out of his territory; for the king of beasts, so numerous elsewhere in Africa, is not met with in the land of the gorilla. We descended a hill, crossed a stream on a fallen log, crept under the trees, and presently approached some huge boulders of granite. In the stream we had crossed we could see plainly that the animals had just crossed it, for the water was still disturbed. Along side of the granite blocks lay an immense dead tree, and about this the gorillas were likely to be. Our approach was very cautious. With guns cocked and ready we advanced through the dense wood, which cast a gloom even at mid-day over the whole scene. I looked at my men and saw that they were even more excited than myself. Slowly we pressed on through the dense bush, dreading almost to breathe for fear of alarming the beasts. Makinda was to go to the right of the rock, while I took the left. Unfortunately he and his party circled it at too great a distance. The watchful animals saw him. Suddenly I was startled by a strange, discordant, half human cry, and beheld four young and half-grown gorillas running towards the deep forest. I was not ready. We fired but hit nothing. Then we rushed on in pursuit; but they knew the woods better than we. Once I caught a glimpse of one of the animals again; but an intervening tree spoiled my mark, and I did not fire. We pursued them till we were exhausted, but in vain. I protest I felt almost like a murderer when I saw the gorilla this first time. As they ran on their hind legs with their heads down, their bodies inclined forward, their whole appearance was that of hairy men running for their lives. Add to this their cry, so awful yet with something human in its discordance, and you will cease to wonder that the natives have the wildest superstitions about these 'wild men of the woods.'"

Du Chaillu's First Gorilla.

In his "Explorations and Adventures in Equatorial Africa" du Chaillu gives an equally thrilling account of the capture of his first gorilla. He says: "We started early, and pushed through the most dense and impenetrable part of the forest; in hopes to find the very home of the beast I so much wished to shoot. Hour after hour we travelled and yet no signs of gorillas. Only the everlasting, little, chattering monkeys--and not many of these--and occasionally birds. Suddenly Miengai uttered a little cluck with his tongue which is the native way of showing that something is stirring and that a sharp look-out is necessary. And presently I noticed, ahead of us seemingly, a noise as of some one breaking down branches or twigs of trees. This was a gorilla--I knew at once by the eager satisfied looks of the men. We walked with the greatest care making no noise at all. Suddenly, as we were yet creeping along, in a silence which made a heavy breath seem loud and distinct, the woods were at once filled with the tremendous barking roar of the gorilla. Then the underbrush swayed rapidly just ahead, and presently before us stood an immense male gorilla. He had gone through the jungle on all fours; but when he saw our party he erected himself and looked us boldly in the face. He stood about a dozen yards from us, and was a sight I think I shall never forget. Nearly six feet high (he proved four inches shorter), with immense body, huge chest, and great muscular arms, with fiercely glaring, large, deep gray eyes, and a hellish expression of face, which seemed to me like some nightmare vision: thus stood before us this king of the African forest. He was not afraid of us. He stood there and beat his breast with his huge fists till it resounded like an immense bass-drum, which is the gorillas' mode of offering defiance; meantime giving vent to roar after roar. The roar of the gorilla is the most singular and awful noise heard in these African woods. It begins with a sharp _bark_, like an angry dog, then glides into a deep bass _roll_, which literally and closely resembles the roll of distant thunder along the sky. So deep is it that it seems to proceed less from the mouth and throat than from the deep chest and vast paunch. His eyes began to flash fiercer fire as we stood motionless on the defensive, and the crest of short hair which stands on his forehead began to twitch rapidly up and down, while his powerful fangs were shown as he again sent forth his thunderous roar. He advanced a few steps--then stopped to utter that hideous roar again--advanced again, and finally stopped when at a distance of about six yards from us. And here, just as he began another of his roars, beating his breast with rage, we fired, and killed him. With a groan which had something terribly human in it, and yet was full of brutishness, he fell forward on his face. The body shook convulsively for a few minutes, the limbs moved about in a struggling way, and then all was quiet: death had done its work, and I had leisure to examine the huge body. It proved to be five feet eight inches high, and the muscular development of the arms and breast showed what immense strength it had possessed." A smaller gorilla, shot by M. du Chaillu on another occasion, measured five feet six inches in height, fifty inches round the chest, and his arms had a spread of seven feet two inches.

A Young Gorilla.

A young gorilla which some natives succeeded in capturing for M. du Chaillu, and which he named "Fighting Joe," forms the subject of one of his most interesting chapters. The young cub was caught by the adroit use of a cloth which one of the natives managed to throw over his head, but not until he had severely bitten one of his captors in the hand and taken a mouthful out of the leg of another. He was about three years old, three feet six inches in height and of great strength. A cage was made for him, from which he twice escaped, on each occasion being recaptured by the use of fishing nets. On his first escape he concealed himself under the bed in M. du Chaillu's house. "Running in," says the writer, "to get one of my guns, I was startled by an angry growl. It was master Joe; there was no mistake about it; I knew his growl too well. I cleared out faster than I came in. I instantly shut the windows and called in my people to guard the door. When Joe saw the crowd of black faces he became furious, and with his eyes glaring, and every sign of rage in his face and body, he got out from beneath the bed. He was about to make a rush at all of us. He was not afraid. A stampede of my men took place, I shut the door quickly (from outside) and left Joe master of the premises." While the men outside were devising means for his recapture, the young gorilla carefully inspected the furniture and M. du Chaillu became apprehensive for the safety of his clock, the ticking of which was likely to attract unwelcome attention. However, by means of a net dexterously thrown over him, he was secured once more and carried back to his cage, which in the meantime had been repaired, the full strength of four men being required for the purpose. On his second escape he made for the woods and took refuge in a large clump of trees. "This we surrounded," says M. du Chaillu. "He did not ascend a tree, but stood defiantly at the border of the wood. About one hundred and fifty of us surrounded him. As we moved up he began to yell, and made a dash upon a poor fellow who was in advance. The fellow ran and tumbled down in affright. By his fall he escaped the tender mercies of Joe's teeth; but he also detained the little rascal long enough for the nets to be thrown over him." But Joe was a child of nature and could not live with the chain of civilisation around his neck, and he died somewhat suddenly some ten days afterwards and finally found his way to the British museum.

Gorilla Superstitions.

According to du Chaillu, the natives entertain many superstitions about the gorilla, among the commonest of which is the belief that some gorillas are inhabited by human spirits. In his "Stories of the Gorilla Country" he gives an interesting illustration of this. "In the evening," he says, "the men told stories about gorillas. 'I remember,' said one, 'my father told me he once went out to the forest, when just in his path he met a great gorilla. My father had his spear in his hand. When the gorilla saw the spear he began to roar; then my father was terrified and dropped the spear. When the gorilla saw that my father had dropped the spear he was pleased. He looked at him, and then left him and went into the thick forest. Then my father was glad and went on his way.' Here all shouted: 'Yes! so we must do when we meet the gorilla. Drop the spear; that appeases him.' Next Gambo spoke. 'Several dry seasons ago, a man suddenly disappeared from my village after an angry quarrel. Some time after an Ashira of that village was out in the forest. He met a very large gorilla. That gorilla was the man who had disappeared; he had turned into a gorilla. He jumped upon the poor Ashira and bit a piece out of his arm; then he let him go. Then the man came back with the bleeding arm. He told me this, I hope we shall not meet such gorillas.' _Chorus_: 'No; we shall not meet such wicked gorillas.' "I myself," says du Chaillu, "afterwards met that man in the Ashira country. I saw his maimed arm and he repeated the same story." Then one of the men spoke up: 'If we kill a gorilla to-morrow, I should like to have a part of the brain for a fetich. Nothing makes a man so brave as to have a fetich of gorilla's brain. That gives a man a strong heart.' _Chorus_ (of those who remained awake) 'Yes; that gives a man a strong heart.'" A fetich of the brain of the gorilla is said also to help its owner in love as well as war.

The Chimpanzee.

The chimpanzee is a near neighbour of the gorilla in Equatorial Africa though he appears to have a more extended range. He is found in Sierra Leone and in the country lying to the north of the river Congo, and according to native accounts is gregarious in his habits, travelling in formidable companies, who carry sticks and make effective use of them. They are said to reach maturity at nine or ten years of age and to attain a height of from four to five feet. Like the gorillas they have immensely powerful limbs, and have been known without apparent effort to break off branches of trees which a man would have been powerless to bend.

The Docility and Sagacity of the Chimpanzee.

The chimpanzee differs from the gorilla in his amenability to civilisation. The gorilla, however young, seems incapable of being tamed; while the chimpanzee in its infancy and youth at least has often been domesticated, though like most other apes, as it approaches maturity, it needs to be kept under strong control. Captain Brown in his "Habits and Characteristics of Animals and Birds" gives the following illustration of the docility and sagacity of the chimpanzee. He says: "M. de Grandpré saw, on board of a vessel, a female chimpanzee, which exhibited wonderful proofs of intelligence. She had learnt to heat the oven; she took great care not to let any of the coals fall out, which might have done mischief in the ship; and she was very accurate in observing when the oven was heated to the proper degree, of which she immediately apprized the baker, who, relying with perfect confidence upon her information, carried his dough to the oven as soon as the chimpanzee came to fetch him. This animal performed all the business of a sailor, spliced ropes, handled the sails, and assisted at unfurling them; and she was, in fact considered by the sailors as one of themselves. The vessel was bound for America; but the poor animal did not live to see that country, having fallen a victim to the brutality of the first mate, who inflicted very cruel chastisement upon her, which she had not deserved. She endured it with the greatest patience, only holding out her hands in a suppliant attitude, in order to break the force of the blows she received. But from that moment she steadily refused to take any food, and died on the fifth day from grief and hunger. She was lamented by every person on board, not insensible to the feelings of humanity, who knew the circumstances of her fate."

The Orang-utan.

The orang-utan is one of the largest of the ape species and until the discovery of the gorilla was supposed to be the largest. It is said sometimes to attain to the height of six feet, and some travellers' tales credit it with even greater height. The orang is possessed of great strength but is of a docile disposition when brought under civilisation, and even in a wild state is often quiet and peaceable except when attacked. It inhabits country that is low, level, and swampy, and that is at the same time covered with lofty virgin forests. It belongs to the genus _Simia_ of which it is the single species.

The Habits of the Orang-utan.

The following account of the orang is given by Mr. Brooke of Sarawak. "On the habits of the orangs, as far as I have been able to observe them, I may remark that they are as dull and as slothful as can well be conceived, and on no occasion, when pursuing them, did they move so fast as to preclude my keeping pace with them easily through a moderately clear forest; and even when obstructions below (such as wading up to the neck) allowed them to get away some distance, they were sure to stop and allow us to come up. I never observed the slightest attempt at defence; and the wood, which sometimes rattled about our ears, was broken by their weight, and not thrown, as some persons represent. If pushed to extremity, however, the pappan could not be otherwise than formidable; and one unfortunate man, who with a party was trying to catch one alive, lost two of his fingers, besides being severely bitten on the face, whilst the animal finally beat off his pursuers and escaped. When hunters wish to catch an adult, they cut down a circle of trees round the one on which he is seated, and then fell that also, and close before he can recover himself, and endeavour to bind him. The rude hut which they are stated to build in the trees would be more properly called a seat, or nest, for it has no roof or cover of any sort. The facility with which they form this seat is curious; and I had an opportunity of seeing a wounded female weave the branches together, and seat herself in a minute. She afterwards received our fire without moving, and expired in her lofty abode, whence it cost us much trouble to dislodge her. The adult male I killed was seated lazily on a tree; and when approached only took the trouble to interpose the trunk between us, peeping at me and dodging as I dodged. I hit him on the wrist, and he was afterwards despatched."

The Walk of the Orang-utan.

In locomotion the orang disdains the earth and perambulates the vernal terraces of the forest trees. "It is a singular sight," says Mr. Wallace, "to watch a mias (orang-utan) making his way leisurely through a forest. He walks deliberately along some of the larger branches in the semi-erect attitude which the great length of his arms and the shortness of his legs cause him naturally to assume, and seems always to choose those branches which intermingle with an adjoining tree, on approaching which he stretches out his long arms, and seizing the opposing boughs, grasps them together with both hands, seems to try their strength, and then deliberately swings himself across to the next branch on which he walks along as before. He never jumps or springs, or even appears to hurry himself, and yet manages to get along almost as quickly as a person can run through the forest beneath."

The Strength of the Orang-utan.

"The Dyaks," says Mr. Wallace, "all declare that the mias is never attacked by any animal in the forest, with two rare exceptions; and the accounts received of these are so curious that I give them nearly in the words of my informants, old Dyak Chiefs, who had lived all their lives in the places where the animal is most abundant. The first of whom I enquired said, 'No animal is strong enough to hurt the mias, and the only creature he ever fights with is the crocodile. When there is no fruit in the jungle he goes to seek food on the banks of the river where there are plenty of young shoots that he likes, and fruits that grow close to the water. Then the crocodile sometimes tries to seize him, but the mias gets upon him and beats him with his hands and feet, and tears and kills him.' He added that he had once seen such a fight and that he believed that the mias is always the victor. My next informant was Orang Kayo or chief of the Balow Dyaks on the Simunjou River. He said the mias has no enemies, no animals dare attack it but the crocodile and the python. He always kills the crocodile by main strength, standing upon it, and pulling open its jaws and ripping up its throat. If a python attacks a mias he seizes it with his hands and then bites it, and soon kills it. The mias is very strong; there is no animal in the jungle so strong as he."

The Docility of the Orang-utan.

Buffon thus describes an orang-utan that he saw: "His aspect was melancholy, his deportment grave, his movements regular, and his disposition gentle. Unlike the baboon or the monkey, who are fond of mischief, and only obedient through fear, a look kept him in awe; while the other animals could not be brought to obey without blows. He would present his hand to conduct the people who came to visit him, and walk as gravely along with them as if he had formed a part of the company. I have seen him sit down at table, when he would unfold his towel, wipe his lips, use a spoon or a fork to carry his victuals to his mouth, pour his liquor into a glass, and make it touch that of a person who drank along with him. When invited to take tea, he would bring a cup and saucer, place them on the table, put in sugar, pour out the tea, and allow it to cool before he drank it. All this I have seen him perform without any other instigation than the signs or the command of his master, and often even of his own accord."

The Orang-utan's Intelligence.

M. de la Bosse thus describes two young orang-utans, male and female. "We had these animals with us on shipboard. They ate at the same table with us. When they wanted anything, they, by certain signs, acquainted the cabin boy with their wishes; and if he did not bring it, they sometimes flew into a rage at him, bit him in the arm, and not unfrequently threw him down. The male fell sick during the voyage, and submitted to be treated like a human patient. The disease being of an inflammatory nature, the surgeon bled him twice in the right arm; and when he afterwards felt himself indisposed, he used to hold out his arm to be bled, because he recollected that he found himself benefited by that operation on a former occasion."

The Orang-utan's Affection.

Dr. Tyson in describing one of the earliest specimens of the orang brought to London, says that it conceived a great affection for those with whom travel had made it familiar, frequently embracing them with the greatest tenderness. A female orang belonging to a Dutch menagerie showed the greatest affection for her attendants, giving unmistakable signs of her delight in their company and distress in their absence. She would often take the hay from her bed and spread it at her side and with anxious and obvious signs invite her keeper to sit beside her. M. Palavicini credited a pair of orangs which he had in his possession in 1759 with the still more remarkable quality in animals of bashfulness. It is said that the female would shrink from the too persistent gaze of a spectator, and throw herself into the arms of the male, hiding her face in his bosom.

The Maternal Instinct.

In his "Marvels and Mysteries of Instinct," Mr. Garrett gives the following instance of maternal affection. "A gentleman was out with a party of men in Sumatra, when in some trees removed from a dense forest a female orang-utan, with a young one in its arms, was discovered, and the pursuit commenced. In the ardour of the moment, and excited by the hope of possessing an animal so rare, the gentleman forgot everything but the prize before him, and urged on his men by the promise of a reward, should their exertions be successful. Thus stimulated they followed up the chase; the animal, encumbered by her young one, making prodigious efforts to gain the dense and intricate recesses of the wood, springing from tree to tree, and endeavouring by every means to elude her pursuers. Several shots were fired, and at length one took fatal effect, the ball penetrating the right side of the chest. Feeling herself mortally wounded, and with the blood gushing from her mouth, she from that moment took no care of herself, but with a mother's feelings summoned up all her dying energies to save her young one. She threw it onwards over the tops of the trees, and from one branch to another, taking the most desperate leaps after it herself, and again facilitating its progress until, the intricacy of the forest being nearly gained, its chances of success were sure. All this time the blood was flowing: but her efforts had been unabated, and it was only when her young one was on the point of attaining to a place of safety that she rested on one of the topmost branches of a gigantic tree. True to her ruling passion, even in death, she turned for a moment to gaze after her young one, reeled, and fell head foremost to the ground. The sight was so touching that it called forth the sympathy of the whole party. The eagerness of the chase subsided; and so deep an impression did the maternal tenderness and unexpected self-devotion of the poor orang make on the gentleman alluded to, whose heart was indeed formed in 'nature's gentlest mould,' that he expressed the utmost remorse and pity, declaring that he would not go through the same scene again for all the world; nor did the tragical death of the animal cease to haunt his mind for many weeks, and he never afterwards recurred to it but with feelings of emotion. The preserved skin is now in the Museum of the Zoological Society."

Gibbons or Long Armed Apes.

The gibbons belong to the genus Hylobates, of which there are several species. They are characterised by the ability to walk almost erect, hence the name Hylobates. They live in the tops of trees, in large companies and possess marvellous powers of locomotion, swinging themselves from tree to tree with such rapidity as to baffle all pursuit. When on the ground they balance themselves in walking by holding their hands above their heads. The adult gibbon is about three feet in height and has a reach of arms of about six feet. The gibbon is tractable and capable of strong affection towards those who show it kindness. One of the Hoolock species petted by Dr. Burrough, became companionable and would sit at his master's breakfast-table, eat eggs and chicken, and drink tea and coffee with great propriety. Fruit was his favourite food, but insects were especially palatable to him and he was an expert in catching flies. The siamang differs from the other species of long-armed apes in the formation of its feet and in several other characteristics. It is, however, similar to the Hoolock in its amenity to kindness and its affection for its master, when brought under the influence of kindly treatment. The gibbons have great strength in their lower limbs, whereby they are enabled to leap surprising distances. M. Duvaneel said he once saw one of these animals clear a space of forty feet, from the branch of a tree. Mr. George Bennet, in his "Wanderings," describes the action of a siamang that belonged to him, which having managed to free himself of his tether, proceeded to embrace the legs of the Malays whom he came across, until he discovered his former master, whereupon he climbed into the Malay's arms and hugged him with the tenderest affection.

Monkeys.

Monkeys differ from the apes we have dealt with in the important characteristic, among others, of possessing tails. These vary in length from inches to feet, in some cases being considerably longer than the body and in others little more than stumps. They vary also in form, some being completely covered with hair, and others only partially so; some apparently useful only as ornaments, others being prehensile, that is capable of grasp, and giving their owners almost the advantage of a fifth limb.

The Sacred Monkeys.

The Sacred Monkeys (_Semnopithecidæ_) include two genera and a large 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.