244 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



of mankind, but holds himself better and higher than other animals, 

 especially than other monkeys. Paying in every instance high regard 

 to men, he likes children if they do not tease and molest him. Sportive 

 and humorous, he indulges in joking with men and animals. He is not 

 only inquisitive but eager to acquire knowledge, examines carefully 

 things strange to him, and falls into ecstasy when he has found out their 

 purpose and learned to use them in the right way. While able to under- 

 stand men and things, he is, nevertheless, modest and kindly, seldom 

 willful, and never stubborn, although he claims what is in right due to 

 him. Of variable temper, he is now good-humored and jolly, now sad 

 and morose, and gives vent to his feelings as men do, but sometimes in 

 a more passionate way. 



I was once the owner of a highly educated chimpanzee. He knew 

 all the friends of the house, all our acquaintances, and distinguished 

 them readily from strangers. Every one treating him kindly he 

 looked upon as a personal friend. He never felt more comfortable than 

 when he was admitted to the family circle and allowed to move free- 

 ly around, and open and shut doors, while his joy was boundless when 

 he was assigned a place at the common table, and the guests admired 

 his natural wit and practical jokes. He expressed his satisfaction and 

 thanks to them by drumming furiously on the table. In his numerous 

 moments of leisure his favorite occupation consisted in investigating 

 carefully every object in his reach : he lowered the door of the stove 

 for the purpose of watching the fire, opened drawers, rummaged boxes 

 and trunks and played with their contents, provided the latter did not 

 look suspicious to him. How easily suspicion was aroused in his mind 

 might be illustrated by the fact that, as long as he lived, he shrank 

 with terror from every common rubber-ball. Obedience to my orders 

 and attachment to my person, and to everybody caring for him, were 

 among his cardinal virtues, and he bored me with his persistent 

 wishes to accompany me. He knew perfectly his time for retiring, 

 and was happy when some one of us carried him to the bedroom like 

 a baby. As soon as the light was put out he would jump into the bed 

 and cover himself, because he was afraid of the darkness. His favor- 

 ite meal was supper with tea, which he was very fond of, provided it 

 was largely sweetened and mixed with rum. He sipped it from the 

 cup, and ate the dipped bread-slices with a spoon, having been taught 

 not to use the fingers in eating ; he poured his wine from the bottle 

 and drank it from the glass. A man could hardly behave himself 

 more gentlemanlike at table than did that monkey. 



He was especially engaging in his association with my children, 

 always gentle, obliging, and tender, and they liked him as a good 

 fellow and pretty playmate. When he was first introduced to my 

 little girl, who was then six months old, he seemed perplexed, and 

 observed her with astonishment, as if speculating whether that little 

 bit of a creature was really a human being. At last his mind was 



