THE GAMES OF MAMMALS 22/ 



which leads into the water. Stationing themselves at the 

 top, one after the other will go shooting down the slide, 

 evidently in the greatest enjoyment and delight, plunging 

 into the water, to scramble out, repeating the feat time 

 and again. In fact, one so fortunate as to witness the 

 acts would be reminded of a troop of boys engaged in a 

 similar pastime. 



The acts of monkeys of all kinds are painfully like 

 those of human beings, and the looker-on is forced against 

 his will to confess that the little animals must think along 

 the same lines as himself, although they may not think so 

 deeply or in the same way. Monkeys are essentially mis- 

 chievous. They are continually playing jokes upon one 

 another : pulling the tails of their fellows, pushing them 

 from the bar, leaping over them — in fact, nearly all the 

 tricks and pranks attempted by a boy are to be seen in a 

 cage of average monkeys. 



Some time previous to the earthquake of San Francisco 

 I stood in Sutro Park, in that city, watching a splendid 

 specimen of spider monkey whose long and remarkable 

 tail was really a fifth arm. Near the monkey, which was 

 clinging to a limb of the tree, was a litter of puppies lying 

 with their devoted and happy mother at the foot of the 

 same tree. As I watched them I saw the monkey crawl 

 down very slowly until it reached a branch just over the 

 puppies. The mother was asleep, hence did not see the 

 long, slender, hairy object which came down like a snake. 

 I watched the animal carefully, fascinated by the cunning 

 displayed. Down it came until the prehensile tail touched 

 the little dogs. It immediately coiled itself about one 

 and up it rose, inch by inch, the puppy perfectly quiet, yet 



