32 



THE SIMP A L 



attitude, preferring to ran on all fours like a dog, that being their legitimate mode of pro- 

 gression. Even when they do stand on their hind feet, the long tail at once deprives them of 

 that grotesque semblance of the human form, which is so painfully exhibited in the tail-less 

 apes. Besides these external distinctions, there are many remarkable peculiarities in the 

 anatomy of the internal organs, which also serve to settle the position of the animal in the 

 order of nature. Among these internal organs, the stomach displays the most remarkable 

 construction, being very large, and divided into compartments that bear some resemblance to 

 those in the stomach of ruminating animals. 



These monkeys are distributed through several parts of the world, the Simpai making its 



residence in Sumatra. 



This is a beautiful little animal, and is 

 pleasing both for elegance of shape, and the 

 contrasting tints with which its fur is deco- 

 rated. The prevailing color of the body is a 

 light chestnut, with a perceptible golden tinge, 

 showing itself when the light falls obliquely on 

 the fur. The inside of the limbs and the abdo- 

 men are not so bright as the rest of the body, 

 but take a most sober tint of gray. At the top 

 of the head the hair is straight, and is set on 

 nearly perpendicularly, so as to form a narrow 

 crest. The color of the crest, together with 

 that of a narrow band running over the eyes 

 and temples, is black. From this conspicuous 

 peculiarity, the Simpai (Presbytes melalophos) 

 is also called the Black-crested Monkey. The 

 name Presbytes signifies an old man, and is 

 given to these monkeys on account of the 

 wizened, old-fashioned aspect of their counte- 

 nances/ The term "melalophos" is literally 

 "black-crested," and therefore a very appro- 

 priate name for this species. 



The length of this animal, measured from 

 the nose to the root of the tail, is about twenty 

 inches, and that of the tail itself is not very far 

 from three feet. Its fur is very soft and glossy. 

 Several allied species are rather celebrated 

 among furriers for the beauty of their natural 

 garments, and suffer much from the hunters. 

 A well-known example, the Negro Monkey, 

 sometimes called the Moor, or the Budeng, furnishes the long black monkey-fur that is put to 

 so many uses. Jet black as is the long silky fur of an adult Budeng, it is of a very different 

 color when the creature is young. The fur of the very young Negro Monkey is of a yellowish 

 red color, and the black tint appears first on the hands, whence it spreads up the arms, across 

 the shoulders, and by degrees creeps over the whole body. 



It is a native of Java, and is a gregarious animal, being found in troops of fifty or more in 

 number, and extremely noisy on the approach of a human being. In temper it is said to be 

 moroae and sulky, so that, in spite of its beautiful coat, it is seldom domesticated. In such a 

 case a bad temper must be a positive blessing to a monkey. 



Not only for the skins are these monkeys valuable. Their teeth are in some favor for the 

 composition of ornaments, being pierced and curiously strung together. 



There is another substance which is furnished by some individuals among this group of 

 monkeys, but is not always found in them. This is the bezoar, a substance which was long in 

 high esteem for the cure of disease, and even now is used for that purpose by the physicians 



'**'" "' V ^Vv^ 



BUDENG. Semnopit/tecui maurus. 



