THE ALLIGATOR'S LAMEXT. 307 



lady mistook him for a cat ; and when she discovered next 

 mornincj that she had been handlinu; a " loose wild beast," her 

 horror was as great as her thankfulness for the supposed 

 escape. In curious contrast to the natural tameness of the 

 Kinkajou wa5 the natural untameness of a beautiful little 

 Night-Monkey, belonging to the Purser. Its great owl's eyes 

 were instinct with nothing but abject terror of everybody and 

 everything' and it was a miracle that ere the vovac^e was 

 over it did not die of mere fright. How is it, en passant, 

 that some animals are naturally fearless and tameable, others 

 not ; and that even in the same familv ? Amono- the South 

 American monkeys the Howlers are untameable ; the Sapa- 

 jous less so ; while the Spider Monkeys are instinctively 

 gentle and fond of man : as may be seen in the case of the 

 very fine Marimonda (Ateles Beelzebub) now dying, I fear, 

 in the Zoological Gardens at Bristol. 



As we got into colder latitudes, we began to lose our pets. 

 The Ant-eater departed first : then the doctor, who kept his 

 alligator in a tub on his cabin floor, was awoke by doleful 

 wails, as of a babe. Being pretty sure that there was not 

 likely to be one on board, and certainly not in his cabin, he 

 naturally struck a light, and discovered the alligator, who had 

 never uttered a sound before, outside his tub on the floor, 

 bewailing bitterly his fate. Whether he " wept crocodile 

 tears " besides the doctor could not discover ; but it 



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