i6 4 THE MONKE Y FAMIL Y. 



sess. What they have learned in captivity has been adventitious 

 altogether, and seems only to be of real use to us on one particular 

 point, namely, it gives us an opportunity of examining the disposition 

 of the captive. Thus, by having removed the tiger from his jungle, 

 we perceive, that his temper, although flexible under the hand of 

 tuition, cannot entirely be depended upon ; for sooner or later, 

 when least suspected, he will spring upon his keeper, and punish 

 him with death. On the contrary, amongst the numerous tribes of 

 monkeys, we find one which is docile in the extreme, and will never 

 be outrageous, if only treated with kindness and generosity ; but, 

 like ourselves, it is capable of recollecting injuries or insults, and it 

 will sometimes resent them, should a favourable opportunity occur. 

 This species of monkey is the ape of the Old World. Whether it be 

 the smaller one, named chimpanzee, or the larger, commonly called 

 orang-outang, alias, the wild man of the woods, it repays us, in some 

 degree, for the instructions which we impart to it. Gentle in the 

 extreme, kind to the hand that feeds it, and imitative of its instructor, 

 it would perform feats that would almost seem to place it, in occa- 

 sional instances, with man himself, although, at the same time, it 

 cannot help letting out the secret, that, in intellect, it is as far from 

 the noble lord of created beings, as can possibly be imagined ; and 

 that, in fact, it can have no claim to any rank above that of the 

 raven, the dog, and the elephant. With this then in view, that apes 

 are mimics of no ordinary character, but nothing more, I will pro- 

 ceed with my original attempt to investigate the real habits of the 

 monkey family at large. 



It has been my good fortune, here in England, to have made 

 acquaintance with three different species of apes from their own 

 warm regions in the tropics, two of which are now in high preser- 

 vation at Walton Hall. The first is a female of the smaller kind 

 with a black fur, and called the chimpanzee. It was exhibited at Scar- 

 borough, in the well-known collection of Mr George Wombwell, nephew 

 to the late Mr Wombwell, who was so celebrated for his management 

 of wild beasts from all parts of the world. I soon perceived that 

 its lungs were injured, and that its life was coming fast to a close. 

 When Mr G. Wombwell had exhibited his splendid menagerie for a 

 sufficient length of time at Scarborough, he conducted it to Wakefield, 



