bare rocks far from, instead of mango groves, &c., in the vicinity 

 of villages, and to be even more than usually bold and graceful in 

 reckless and beautiful jumping. The longer hair may have been 

 their winter clothing, but I cannot account for my fancies about 

 the other peculiarities. 



On two or three occasions I encamped close to one of the hills 

 in that Talook, and was much amused by the regular habits of a 

 small colony of these monkeys, under the command, very strictly 

 enforced, of a very fine male. Like most others, in that part of 

 the country the hill was a mass of rocks and boulders, affording 

 safe cover to panthers. The monkeys lived in the hill all day ; 

 each evening they were to be seen returning home under the com- 

 mand of their chief, who before leaving, or allowing any of them to 

 leave a rock, carefully reconnoitred every inch of ground before 

 him, especially if it was open, prior to rushing as hard as he 

 could to the next vantage ground ; this reached, he called the 

 others, who in the meantime had all but their heads been carefully 

 concealed and who followed, one at a time, as hard as they could go, 

 some of the females, of course, with infants clinging to them : 

 they did not object to our watching these manoeuvres which were 

 continued along one face of the hill until they reached a point 

 sloping at an angle of about 45, down a smooth slab, for perhaps 

 yards towards a very peculiarly T-shaped mass of boulders, 

 which rose right out of the plain and was severed from the hill by 

 a chasm, nothing but a bird could be suspected of daring to cross. 

 At the top of this slope, the monkeys having assembled, their 

 chief commenced his last rush down headlong to the edge of the 

 precipice, which reached, he flew, (there is no other word for it), 

 at a different angle upwards across the chasm to the bare face of 

 the rock, which T-like, crowned the isolated mass and the summit 

 of which appeared to afford very scant accommodation for the 

 others, not more than a dozen at most j-'-he was followed, one by 

 one, by his wives those with babies jumping as boldly as the rest. 

 I observed, however, that one lady, and some of the half-grown 

 youngsters, had to make a second attempt, having either failed to get 

 up pace enough, or losing courage at the crisis ; all having reached 

 their roost, were allowed some minutes' relaxation before being 

 ordered to bed, some of the children even began to play. This 



