480 ANIMAL INTELLIGENCE 



The powers of observation and readiness to establish 

 new associations thus rendered apparent, display a high 

 level of general intelligence. Mr. Darwin further ob- 

 serves that Mr. Belt * likewise describes various actions 

 of a tamed cebus, which, I think, clearly show that this 

 animal possessed some reasoning power.' The following 

 is the account to which Mr. Darwin here refers, and I 

 quote it in extenso, because, as I shall presently show, I 

 have myself been able to confirm most of the observa- 

 tions on another monkey of the same genus : 



It would sometimes entangle itself round a pole to which it 

 was fastened, and then unwind the coils again with the greatest 

 discernment. Its chain allowed it to swing down below the 

 verandah, but it could not reach to the ground. Sometimes, 

 when there were broods of young ducks about, it would hold 

 out a piece of bread in one hand, and when it had tempted a 

 duckling within reach, seize it by the other, and kill it with a 

 bite in the breast. There was such an uproar amongst the 

 fowls on these occasions, that we soon knew what was the 

 matter, and would rush out and punish Mickey (as we called 

 him) with a switch ; so that he was ultimately cured of his 

 poultry-killing propensities. One day, when whipping him, I 

 held up the dead duckling in front of him, and at each blow of 

 the light switch told him to take hold of it, and at last, much 

 to my surprise, he did so, taking it and holding it tremblingly 

 in one hand. He would draw things towards him with a stick, 

 and even used a swing for the same purpose. It had been put 

 up for the children, and could be reached by Mickey, who now 

 and then indulged himself in a swing on it. One day I had 

 put down some bird-skins on a chair to dry, far beyond, as I 

 thought, Mickey's reach ; but, fertile in expedients, he took the 

 swing and launched it towards the chair, and actually managed 

 to knock the skins off in the return of the swing, so as to bring 

 them within his reach. He also procured some jelly that was 

 set out to cool in the same way. Mickey's actions were very 

 human-like. When any one came near to fondle him, he never 

 neglected the opportunity of pocket-picking. He would pull 

 out letters, and quickly take them from their envelopes. 1 



I shall now proceed to state some further facts, show- 

 ing the high level of intelligence to which monkeys of 

 various kinds attain. 



1 Naturalist in Xicaragua, p, 119. 



