THE CHIMPANSEE. 23 
swung himself from side to side of the cage, by means of the ropes that are suspended 
fromm the roof; but he preserved a dignified air as became the sole ruler. 
There was a kind of aristocratic calmness about the animal, and he would, at intervals, 
pause in his airy promenade, and, seating himself on a convenient spot, deliberately 
scan the large assembly that generally surrounded the monkey-house. His survey 
completed, he would eat a nut or a piece of biscuit, and recommence his leisurely gambols. 
His health seemed to be perfectly good, as was shown by the alertness of his movements, 
and the full, open look of his eyes. 
A sad contrast to this animal was presented by a wretched little Chimpansee which I 
saw in England. It was still possessed of sufficient strength to move about its cage, but 
executed all its movements in a slow, listless manner, that would have told its own tale, 
had not the frequent hacking cough spoken so plainly of the malady that was consuming 
its vitals. The countenance of the poor creature was very sad, and it did not appear to 
take the least interest in anything that occurred. 
I have seen many monkeys with this sad aspect, and was always haunted by their 
piteous looks for days afterwards. 
The ravages which this disease can make in the delicate formation of a monkey’s lune, 
before the creature finally succumbs, must be seen to be appreciated. The whole organ is 
so eaten up, and its colour and substance so changed, that the spectator marvels that the 
creature’s life could have been sustained for an hour under such circumstances. 
As long, however, as they resist the untoward influence of our climate, the specimens 
which we have known, have always been extremely gentle and docile. Taught by the 
instinctive dread of cold, they soon appreciate the value of clothing, and learn to wrap 
themselves in mats, rugs, or blankets, with perfect gravity and decorum. Dress exercises 
its fascinations even over the ape, for one of these animals has been known to take such 
delight in a new and handsome costume, that he repudiated the previous dress, and in 
order to guard against the possibility of reverting to the cast-off garment, tore it to 
shreds. Whether the natives of Western Africa speak rightly in asserting that the 
Chimpansee is capable of using weapons, is at present rather a doubtful point. The 
negroes say that the “Baboos,” as they call the animals (the name evidently being a 
corruption from our own word Baboon), make use of clubs, staves, and other rude weapons, 
and that they can use them with great address. Certain it is, that the adult Chimpansee 
has been known to snap with a single effort branches so thick, that the united strength 
of two men could hardly bend them. But whether the animal would possess sufficient 
intellectual power to make use of a weapon thus obtained, is not so certain. 
It is said that they have a sufficient amount of knowledge to be aware that the 
strength of a man hes in his weapons, and not in his muscles only ; and that if a hunter 
should draw on himself the vengeance of the troop, by wounding or killing one of their 
number, he can escape certain death by flinging down his gun. The enraged apes gather 
round the object that dealt the fatal stroke, and tear it to pieces with every mark of fury. 
While they are occupied with wreaking their vengeance on the senseless object, the owner 
of the fatal weapon escapes unnoticed. 
The strength of arm with which this animal is endowed, has already been shown. 
But although the hinder limbs are not possessed of that gigantic muscular strength which 
is given to the arms, yet they are powerful to a degree that would be remarkable in any 
animal less athletic than the Chimpansee. One of these creatures has been seen to lower 
itself backwards from the bar on which it was sitting, and to draw itself up again, merely 
by the grasp of the hinder feet. 
The age to which the Chimpansee attains in its wild state,isas yet unknown. But to 
judge by the length of time that elapses before the animal reaches maturity, its life 
cannot be very much less than that of the human inhabitants of the same land. Nine 
or ten years are spent by the Chimpansee before it has reached the perfection of its 
development ; and it is well known that the inhabitants of the tropical regions attain to 
maturity at a very early age indeed. 
A peculiarly fine specimen of the Chimpansee, which was tamed and domesticated in 
its native country, lived to the age of twenty-one years. This animal was possessed of 
