24 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



money to the wine-merchant's. It would never give up its money- 

 till it had got its wine, and would never touch that, although it 

 was fond of it. Pere Vincent Maria, procurator of the hare-footed 

 Carmelites in the Indian Peninsula, tells of a Macacus silenus which 

 imitated perfectly all the acts which it was shown how to perform. 

 It would go at it so seriously and exactly that one could not help being 

 surprised to see an animal do it all so well. Breton has in his Chi- 

 nese pictures a representation of monkeys of one of the smaller species 

 gathering tea-leaves on the tops of one of the steep ridges of Chan- 

 sung. "Williams doubts the truth of the story, but there is nothing 

 in it outside of the probabilities. The ancient Egyptians obtained 

 considerable services from the Cynocephalus. 



Du Grandpr6, of the French marine, speaks of a female chimpanzee 

 that would heat the furnace on board the vessel. It was able to judge 

 when the required degree of heat was reached, and would call the cook 

 at the right moment. It would join the sailors in turning the capstan, 

 would go on the yards with them, could pull ropes as well as any, and, 

 observing that the ends were tied to keep them from hanging down, 

 tied the ends which she held. Buffon mentions another female at 

 Loango which could make the beds, sweep the house, and help turn 

 the spit. 



These monkeys had to be tamed before they could be taught ; but, 

 as they breed in captivity, Houzeau suggests that there is little doubt 

 that the principal species are susceptible of domestication. Then it 

 will only be necessary to train individuals for their special work. 

 "Female monkeys," he adds, "might be employed in taking care of 

 children. They would make excellent nurses, for their milk is rich in 

 butter (ten per cent). These facts can hardly fail in time to strike 

 the residents of European origin in Asia and Africa, where these ani- 

 mals are easy to get. We anticipate a time when these races, bred by 

 man, will render great services in daily life and industry, and will con- 

 tribute to the general progress. There is nothing in such a prediction 

 which does not rest on scientific premises, and nothing in it to laugh 

 at." — Translated for the Popular Science Monthly from the Revue 

 Scientifique. 



RECENT ADVANCES IX SOLAR ASTRONOMY. 



By Professor CHARLES A. YOUNG. 



WHILE during the past four years there has been no great or 

 startling discovery in solar astronomy, there has been beyond 

 question important progress at many points. Increased precision of 

 numerical data has boon attained, new methods of observation have 

 been devised and put in practice, theories have been brought to trial 

 with varying results of condemnation or approval, and mathematical 



