THE MENTAL FACULTIES OF MONKEYS. 23 



and Geoffroy Saint-IIilaire, observed the latter with earnest attention. 

 As soon as it had thoroughly studied its visitor, it took a cane, bent 

 itself over like an old man, and imitated his gait. Another orang- 

 outang had learned how to get upon a chair and open a door-latch, 

 which was otherwise out of its reach. The chair it was accustomed 

 to use having been taken away, it went and got another from the 

 corner, brought it to the door, and mounted it. Houzeau regards 

 these facts as indicating the existence of an inventive faculty, of a 

 decided intention looking to a fixed end, and a perception of the rela- 

 tion of cause and effect. A black chimpanzee of Buffon's knew how 

 to unlock the door, and, if it did not find the key in the lock, would 

 look for it. This monkey took its meals like a well-bred person, ate 

 with a spoon and fork, used a plate, and served itself with wine. 

 The anthropoid ape Mafuka, in the Zoological Garden of Dresden, 

 knew all about the way to open the door of its cage. It would steal 

 the key and hide it under its arm till it wanted to use it. At one 

 time, after watching a carpenter at work, it got his gimlet and bored 

 holes in its table. At meals it filled its own cup from the pitcher, and 

 took care not to let it run over. 



Mr. Cobs gave his young orang-outang half an orange, put the 

 other half in a cupboard, and lay down on the sofa. Remarking 

 some peculiarity in the movements of the orang, he pretended to be 

 asleep. The animal came cautiously up to him to assure itself that 

 he was asleep, then climbed upon the cupboard, took the rest of the 

 orange and ate it, hid the peel carefully under the sticks in the fire- 

 place, and then itself lay down. Such manner of action, says Tylor, 

 can hardly be explained except by a train of thoughts supposing the 

 existence of what among ourselves we call reason. 



Bennett had to chide a young gibbon many times for putting 

 things out of their places, among other things a cake of soap. One 

 morning when he was writing he observed the monkey taking the 

 soap, and watched its operations in such a manner that he should not 

 himself be observed. Seeing him apparently occupied with his writ- 

 ing, the monkey went off with the soap in its hand. When it had got 

 to the middle of the cabin, Bennett spoke to it in such a manner as not 

 to startle it. When it perceived that it had been seen, it returned and 

 put the soap in very nearly the place from which it had taken it. 



Monkeys seem well adapted to perform some kinds of domestic 

 offices, and acquit themselves gracefully in them. The natives of 

 Madagascar train the short-tailed lemur for hunting, where it renders 

 the same services as a dog. Pyrard says that in his time the colonists 

 of Sierra Leone employed chimpanzees in carrying water and beating 

 in mortars. They would carry the water in jars on their heads, but 

 would drop their burdens if some one was not at hand to relieve them 

 from the load. Acosta tells of a monkey belonging to the Governor 

 of Cartagena, which they were accustomed to send with a bottle and 



