MONKEY LANGUAGE 133 



7. Pai7i. — A kind of squeak. 



8. Cry for help. — A high-pitched squeak. Wee Man used 

 to make this as a youngster when he became inextricably 

 entangled in his rope. 



9. Melancholy. — A very distinct, long-drawn wail, 

 sometimes heard in the forest, presumably indicating that 

 the monkey had become separated from the troop. A 

 monkey seen in the act of crying thus has a most lugu- 

 brious appearance ; the mouth is held in a peculiar 

 fashion and one quite expects to see tears rolling down 

 the cheeks. 



10. Hunting Call. — One of the most distinct sounds in 

 the monkey tongue. When a troop is searching the trees 

 for food in the forest an old male sits in a very conspicuous 

 tree top and utters a series of barking noises which can be 

 most nearly imitated by repeating very rapidly " Kubba- 

 kubba-kubba." To this the junior members reply by 

 high-pitched squeaks, and the whole troop is thus enabled 

 to keep together, as the total amount of noise produced 

 is considerable. 



11. Dislike. — A short, expressive word, which may be 

 represented by saying beneath one's breath the first two 

 letters of the word " come." 



12. Intense dislike and fear. — The last mentioned sound 

 is repeated very rapidly and with great energy when a 

 monkey sees a snake, or anything that seems to savour of 

 a reptile. 



13. A " baby " noise, only made by young monkeys 

 when they have been frightened or hurt and run for comfort 

 to be cuddled by their mothers or friends. It can be 

 represented by the noise " Qurra-qurra-qurra-qurra " 

 repeated beneath one's breath. 



Having been for months in close association with the 

 pet monkeys, I found their different natures extremely 

 interesting, and they were most charming companions, 



