HABITS OF THE MONKEYS. 49 



rush of the band through the leafy forest ; he ther sees them running-, 

 clambering, playing, cleaning themselves, fighting; they never try to 

 conceal themselves. A foray of these apes is a remarkable sight to an 

 uninterested spectator. Under the lead of an experienced patriarch they 

 make their approach to the cornfields; the females carry their young, 

 who cling to their breasts, and at the same time take a turn with their 

 tail round the tail of their mother. At first they are cautious. The 

 patriarch goes first ; the others follow step by step, and mount not only 

 the same tree but the same branch as he does. 



The leader sometimes climbs to the very topmost spray to get a good 

 view of the neighborhood ; if the prospect is favorable, a low gurgling 

 note tells the good tidings to his subjects ; if unfavorable, he utters a 

 cry of warning. They alight from a tree near the field, and then with 

 vigorous leaps advance into their paradise. Then their activity is pro- 

 digious. Heads of corn, ears of millet are plucked, the grains picked 

 out and placed in their cheek pouches ; when these capacious receptacles 

 are full, the band relaxes a little from its labors and becomes more fas- 

 tidious in what it steals. They carefully smell the ears they pick, and 

 if the odor is not satisfactory, reject them ; of ten heads of corn only one 

 is really eaten. As a rule they take merely a couple of grains from each 

 head and then the rest is flung away ; they are fond of eggs and partial 

 to honey. 



When the troop thinks itself in perfect security in the cornfield, the 

 mothers put down their little ones to play, but keep a sharp eye on 

 them. All arc careless except the leader. He, even in the daintiest 

 repast, stops, stands erect, and looks around at short intervals. After 

 each observation he utters his note of safety if nothing displeasing is 

 seen, or an indescribable quavering note of warning if an enemy is in 

 sight. When this last tone is heard, the band at once reassembles, the 

 mothers call back their children, all are ready for flight, and hurriedly 

 grasp as much food as they can carry off". If the danger presses they 

 gradually unload, but do not part with the last of their burden till both 

 hands and feet are necessary. Wide intervals from tree to tree, dense 

 hedges, prickly thorns, are all unable to check their march. Their leaps 

 are astonishing ; in mid-flight they can change their direction by means 

 of their long rudder of a tail ; they leap from a tree-top to the earth, fly 

 over the ditclrts and with lightning-like speed up another tree. Their 

 leader conducts them through all their operations with his voice, now bid^- 

 7 



