236 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



value, and in trying to illustrate the life of that pretended cousin 

 of ours. 



The apes have established their homes in every continent, Aus- 

 tralia excepted. Warmth seems to he one of the principal conditions 

 of their existence, as they are only found in the warmer regions. In 

 America they are spread from 26 south to Mexico ; in Asia, from the 

 Sunda Islands to the Japanese Sea. In Europe there exists hut one 

 species of monkeys, and its members live all together in one troop on 

 the rocks of the fort of Gibraltar, under the special care and protection 

 of the garrison. That troop numbered in all twenty-three individuals 

 when I visited Gibraltar in 1881. 



The principal thing the monkeys claim from a country, whose 

 clime they are enjoying otherwise, is food, plenty of varied food ; and 

 this fact fully explains the predilection they have always shown for 

 places where pious superstition provides for their wants and makes 

 their life comfortable. 



Among other mammifers the female element wields the scepter in 

 family life, but in the realm of apes the male is invested with the sov- 

 ereign power, not by general suffrage, but by the right of force. The 

 oldest and strongest male of a troop proclaims himself chief and leader, 

 after having vanquished all his competitors, viz., the rest of the senior 

 males. The longest teeth and the strongest arms decide in the ques- 

 tion of supremacy. All those who show some reluctance to submit are 

 chastised till they come to political reason. To the strongest belongs 

 the crown ; in his sharp teeth resides his wisdom. 



This ferocious tyrant understands his duty as a leader, and per- 

 forms the same with dignity. His subordinates flatter and fondle him 

 in every way ; the ladies of his harem rival in keeping his dress clean 

 from annoying parasites. As a genuine pasha, he accepts this respect 

 with a kind of languid acquiescence. In return, he watches carefully 

 over his vassals, and shows a continual anxiety for their welfare and 

 security. He orders and directs minute details in daily life, and sub- 

 dues all opposition for there exists a Left also in the monkey state by 

 striking and sharp bodily argumentation. As a general rule, the monk- 

 eys go early to bed, rise late, and establish their night encampment 

 on the summit of rocks, if possible'. The first thing they do in the 

 morning is to warm themselves, for which purpose they climb to the 

 tops of rocks and trees and turn slowly around in the sun till their hair, 

 wetted by the nightly dew, is entirely dry. This preliminary operation is 

 followed by a thorough cleansing of the skin, and, immediately after, 

 by breakfast. Every eatable thing suits monkeys fruits, onions, roots, 

 seeds, nuts, leaves, insects, eggs, young birds, snails and they enjoy 

 generally a copious, free board. Their notions concerning property 

 are very defective. " "We plant and the apes harvest," says the Arab 

 of Eastern Soudan, with his natural apathy in the presence of facts 

 and events that he can not prevent. Does not the monkey show in 



