THE DEVELOPMENT OF A YOUNG MONKEY 133 



she was ready to give him the last bite from her own mouth, the same mother did 

 not allow him to touch the slightest bit of food offered to him. As soon as the 

 keeper had given them bread and fruit she took possession of it, thrust the young 

 one away when he wished to eat, and hastily filled her cheek pouches and hands, 

 so that there was nothing left for him. It would be a mistake to believe that a 

 nobler motive than gluttony impelled her to this act. She could not have wished 

 to force the young one to suck, for she had no more milk; no more could it have 

 been care lest the food should be injurious to him, for he ate it greedily and thrived 

 on it. Hunger now soon made him very bold, venturesome, and nimble. He could 

 no longer be driven back by the mother's blows, and in spite of everything that 

 she could do to keep her child at a distance and keep all for herself, the young 

 one was always sly and quick enough to snatch one or another bit of food and to 

 bolt it behind her back and as far from her as possible. This foresight was by 

 no means unnecessary, for several times the mother ran to the furthest corner 

 of the room in order to snatch back the food from her child. In order to ward 

 off the results which must follow this unmotherly behavior we provided more sup- 

 plies than the mother could eat or conceal in her mouth and in this way the baby 

 was provided for. Thereafter he lived in good health and was fostered by his 

 mother so long as he did not interfere with her food. He distinguished rather 

 well people who fed or petted him. He was always goodnatured and, of the ape 

 characters, showed only playfulness and agility." 



That the rapid development of the Macacus monkey, so 

 different from that of the human infant, is not persistent in 

 the higher apes is shown in the following quotation from Wal- 

 lace in which he compares a hare -lipped monkey (M. cynomol- 

 gus) with a young Mias or orang-outang which he had captured. " 



"It was curious to observe the different actions of these two animals, which 

 could not have differed much in age. The Mias, like a very young baby, lying 

 on its back quite helpless, rolling lazily from side to side, stretching out all four 

 hands into the air, wishing to grasp something, but hardly able to guide its fingers 

 to any definite object; and when dissatisfied, opening wide its almost toothless 

 mouth, and expressing its wants by a most infantine scream. The little monkey, 

 on the other hand, in almost constant motion; running and jumping about where- 

 ever it pleased, examining objects around it, seizing hold of the smallest objects 

 with the greatest precision, balancing itself on the edge of a box or running up a 

 post, and helping itself to anything eatable that came in its way. There could 

 hardly be a greater contrast, and the baby Mias looked more babylike by the 

 comparison." 



Finally, the following brief account by Ram Bramha Sanyal 

 is included as a description of these animals in their natural 



habitat. 7 



"The young monkey after birth attaches itself to its mother, and will not leave 

 her for nearly a month, the mother nursing the young all the time with the utmost 

 solicitude; after this time it will make little excursions on its own account, but 

 is careful not to stray far, and at the slightest sound or movement it seeks refuge 

 with her. The mother is unremitting in her vigilance over her offspring and in 

 its personal wants and appearance. Compared with an orang-outang of the same 



6 Wallace, A. R. The Malay Archipelago, 1872. 



7 Ram Bramha Sanyal. A Handbook of the Management of Animals in Cap- 

 tivity in Lower Bengal, 1892. 



