Literature, Modern -- 19th century -- Periodicals; Science -- Periodicals
Menagerie monkeys, too, are sure to interrupt their occupations at the
sight of a new-comer,--a clear indication that monkeys, like men,
possess a surplus of intelligence above the exigencies of their
individual needs. Yet these exigencies are by no means inconsiderable.
Unlike the grazing deer and the deer-eating panther, the frugivorous
monkeys of the tropics are the direct competitors of the intolerant lord
of creation. The Chinese macaques, the Moor monkey, the West-African
baboons, have to eke out a living by pillage. The Gibraltar monkey has
hardly any other resources. Nor has nature been very generous in the
physical equipment of the species. Most monkeys lack the sharp teeth
that enable the tiger to defy the avenger of his misdeeds. Without
exception they all lack the keen scent that helps the deer to elude its
pursuers. But their mental faculties more than compensate for such
bodily deficiencies. In the Abyssinian highlands the mornings are often
cold enough to cover the grass with hoar-frost, yet the frost-dreading
baboons choose that very time to raid the corn-fields of the natives.
They omit no precaution, and it is almost impossible to circumvent the
vigilance of their sentries. Prudence, derived from
_providence_,--i.e., prevision, the gift of fore-seeing things,--is in
many respects almost a synonyme of reason. Physically that gift is
typified in the telescopic eyes which monkeys share with a few species
of birds, but with hardly any of their mammalian relatives, except man
in a state of nature. Mentally it manifests itself in a marvellous
faculty for anticipating danger. Last summer Sally, the above-mentioned
baboon, contrived to break loose, and took refuge on the top of the
roof. I do not believe that she intended to desert, but she was bent on
a romp, and had made up her mind not to be captured by force. A chain of
eight or nine feet dangled from her girdle, and she persistently avoided
approaching the lower tier of shingles, to keep that chain from hanging
down over the edge, but was equally careful not to venture too near the
extremities of the roof-ridge, for there was a skylight at each gable.
She kept around the middle of the roof; and we concluded to loosen a few
shingles in that neighborhood and grab her chain through the aperture,
while a confederate was to divert her attention by a continuous volley
of small pebbles. But somehow Sally managed to distinguish the
hammer-strokes from the noise of the bombardment, and at once made up
her mind that the roof had become untenable. The only question was how
to get down; for by that time the house was surrounded by a cordon of
sentries. As a preliminary measure she then retreated to the top of the
chimney, and one of our strategists proposed to dislodge her by loading
the fireplace with a mixture of pine-leaves and turpentine. But better
counsel prevailed, and we contented ourselves with firing a blank
cartridge through the flue. Sally at once jumped off, but regained her
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account