NATURAL HISTORY. 



" This apish and unmannerly approach, 

 This harness'd mask, and unadvised revel, 

 This unheard sauciness and boyish trooper, 

 The king doth smile at." SHAKSPERE, 



means of its tail. The prehensible 

 part of the tail is covered with skin 

 only, forming an organ of touch 

 as discriminating as the propet 

 extremities. 



In monkeys the pectoral part of 

 the body is by far the most mus- 

 cular and robust in its form, while 

 the ventral and sacral parts of its 

 trunk are attenuated, so much so 

 that this portion appears, in som? 

 of the species, as if it were nothing 

 more than a stalk to the hind legs ; 

 at all events it is never such as to 

 impede their motions or encumber 

 them by its weight. Now the 

 young monkey so applies itself 

 to the body of its mother that 

 it in no way impedes her motions, and is, in fact, the least possible burden 

 to her that so much additional weight could be. The shoulder bones are 

 stout and long for her size, by which means the breadth of her chest is 

 ample, and the shoulder joints are thrown wide apart. The fore legs of the young 

 clasp her round her neck and hold on to the immoveable part of the shoulier, 

 between the shoulder-bone and the blade-bone, so that their points of adhesion do 

 not interfere with any of the moving parts. These members in the young monkey 

 are so long that it can reach the pectoral mammoB of the mother without weaken- 

 ing its own hold or cramping her motions ; and then its hind legs clasp the body so 

 far forwards that they leave the hinder extremities free for every operation of 

 climbing. Therefore, a female monkey loaded with a young one has very nearly, 

 if not altogether, the same use of her organs as though she were without any load, 

 because the young one adheres by its own exertions, which exertion strengthens 

 in proportion to its weight. 



179. Wliy is a particular description of monkey* called the 

 preacher ? 



Because it is common for one of these creatures to ascend a lofty 

 tree while a congregation of others of the tribe assemble in the 

 lower branches ; the monkey who is elevated above the rest then 

 sets up a loud and shrill howl, which may be heard at a great dis- 

 tance. The assembled monkeys afterwards join in a noisy choru% 



* Mycetes Beelzebub. 



