1893I] Interesting Aliens 



— though not enthusiastically — while he in turn 

 learned to lap up milk cat-fashion. 



All of my simian wards were human in their long- Matemd 

 ing for companionship. One big female grabbed a >'^«''«^«?-f 

 passing kitten and made off with it to the top of 

 the barn. From that point of vantage she was dis- 

 lodged with difficulty after an hour or so, during 

 which she hugged the whimpering little beast to her 

 monkey heart. At another time she adopted a 

 young motherless chick, and as night came on would 

 carefully lift and place it out of reach behind her 

 in a snug corner of the old dog house where she 

 slept. At sharing her food, however, she drew the 

 line — gently but firmly removing her charge to a 

 satisfactory distance at dinner time. 



Still another, a male who maintained a more or 

 less mutually aggressive relation with our Great 

 Dane dog, would when attached to the latter's 

 collar by a chain ride around contentedly on his 

 back. This amusement ended in a near-tragedy, a simian 

 for one day when the carriage left in haste to meet Mazeppa 

 a train, the dog went, too; so perforce did the rider, 

 but not keeping his hold. We understood afterward 

 that the scene was lamentable, but only at the 

 station was the situation uncovered to the coach- 

 man, who brought the monkey back on the front 

 seat, considerably the worse for wear, his eyes elo- 

 quent with reproach. 



Of the parrots our special joy was "Loro Bonito," Loro 

 a yellowhead, from Mazatlan. When first presented ^°"''° 

 to my wife, he was able to imitate with a good deal 

 of exactness the fife and drum of his home presidio. 

 This accomplishment he soon lost, however, and 

 with it ultimately all his Spanish; but he mean- 



C 515 3 



