38 TOMMl AND PEARLIE. 



makes a pitiful cry and starts off in search of some 

 of his friends, as though life were not endurable 

 without human companionship. I think this is 

 always the case where animals are treated with 

 uniform kindness ; they must be able to trust those 

 who feed and care for them, and when that perfect 

 trust is established they yield a love that is often 

 quite touching in its intensity. These two lemurs 

 are very different in character. Tommy is abso- 

 lutely selfish and strongly self-willed, timid and 

 cautious. Pearlie shines by contrast, and is ready 

 to give up, gentle, affectionate, and confiding. It 

 is true they are of different species, and that may 

 in a measure account for the differing characters 

 they exhibit, but seeing they were both obtained 

 when quite young, and treated alike with unvarying 

 kindness, one would have thought that original 

 tendencies would have become more thoroughly 

 effaced. Allowing for Tommy's moral failings, one 

 must own that he and Pearlie are delightful 

 specimens of the monkey tribe. They keep their 

 lovely fur spotlessly clean, are quite inodorous, 

 always ready to be caressed, and add greatly to 

 the interest of my conservatory by their lively 

 movements and graceful antics. 



