Chap. II. MENTAL POWERS. 43 



coiled-up snake into the monkey-house at the Zoo- 

 logical Gardens, and the excitement thus caused was 

 one of the most curious spectacles which I ever beheld. 

 Three species of Cercopithecus were the most alarmed ; 

 they dashed about their cages and uttered sharp signal- 

 cries of danger, which were understood by the other 

 monkeys. A few young monkeys and one old Anubis 

 baboon alone took no notice of the snake. I then 

 placed the stuffed specimen on the ground in one of 

 the larger compartments. After a time all the monkeys 

 collected round it in a large circle, and staring in- 

 tently, presented a most ludicrous appearance. They 

 became extremely nervous ; so that when a wooden ball, 

 with which they were familiar as a plaything, was acci- 

 dently moved in the straw, under which it was partly 

 hidden, they all instantly started away. These monkeys 

 behaved very differently when a dead fish, a mouse, and 

 some other new objects were placed in their cages ; for 

 though at first frightened, they soon approached, handled 

 and examined them. I then placed a live snake in a 

 paper bag, with the mouth loosely closed, in one of the 

 larger compartments. One of the monkeys immediately 

 approached, cautiously opened the bag a little, peeped 

 in, and instantly dashed away. Then I witnessed what 

 Brehm has described, for monkey after monkey, with 

 head raised high and turned on one side, could not 

 resist taking momentary peeps into the upright bag, 

 at the dreadful object lying quiet at the bottom. It 

 would almost appear as if monkeys had some notion of 

 zoological affinities, for those kept by Brehm exhibited 

 a strange, though mistaken, instinctive dread of inno- 

 cent lizards and frogs. An orang, also, has been known 

 to be much alarmed at the first sight of a turtle. 9 



9 W. C. L. Martin, ' Nat. Hist, of Mammalia,' 1841, p. 405. 



