234 OUR HOME PETS 



he may destroy; for what is called mischief is 

 simply his irrepressible activity. He must be 

 doing something; he has no genius for repose. 

 Hence it is cruel to keep a monkey in a cage, 

 not only because he is a pitiable sight to every 

 one who loves his own freedom, but because 

 he will pine and die for want of something to 

 interest him. A monkey made happy, kept 

 comfortably warm, and properly fed so as to 

 be in health, is a perennial source of interest 

 and amusement in a household. There is no 

 end to the stories of these comical fellow- 

 creatures, with their drolleries and almost 

 human ways, from Du Chaillu's quaint baby 

 Nshiego Mboitva down to the pathetic little 

 fellow on the hand -organ whose heart Mr. 

 Garner won by addressing him in his own 

 language. 



Perhaps the most civilizable monkey that 

 we can get at is the spider monkey, from Cen- 

 tral America. This fellow takes kindly to our 

 ways of living, is neat and nice in person, ex- 

 ceedingly affectionate, and often most gentle 

 in disposition ; though animals differ in char- 

 acteristics exactly as people do. In buying a 

 pet, therefore, it is important to select one 



