MY MONKEYS, 527 



tions, which were sometimes annoying, than to put snake-skins under 

 the objects I wished him to respect. The device succeeded admira- 

 bly. It was to the same mandrill I once showed a prospectus of Sem- 

 per's " Journey to the Philippine Islands," in which there was a picture 

 of a holuthuria. At the unexpected view of this sea-hom, the man- 

 drill made a jump and struck the ground with his hands, while his 

 hair stood out and his body trembled from head to foot. The rhesus 

 gave me a yet more striking example of this horror. I had received 

 a large python, which I had brought into the room every day for a 

 warm bath. After nine days, I had only to call out, " Bring in the 

 serpent," for the monkey to disappear under the straw. Long after 

 the serpent had been restored to health and the baths had been dis- 

 continued, the repetition of the order would set Molly a-trembling at 

 any time. 



Perty says that dogs are the only animals capable of reading hu- 

 man physiognomy ; but one has only to possess monkeys and be ac- 

 quainted with them to know that they too can read it better than chil- 

 dren can. I except New World monkeys, which have little or none of 

 the faculty. I had a little female Java macacus, of an exceedingly pleas- 

 ant and timid nature. I had only to raise my voice in speaking to her, 

 to arrest all her motions. When I returned into the room, she would 

 follow me with her eyes, trying to read the expression of my face, and 

 endeavoring to gain my sympathy by a low murmuring, going away 

 or coming up to me according to the play of my features. If she saw 

 me smile she would make a sound of gladness, clasp my knees and 

 press against me, with murmuring lips and eyes gazing into mine. 

 But, at the first frown or hard look, the macacus would drop down 

 crying and run away. The rhesus responded in a somewhat similar 

 manner to my expressions. 



Monkeys have a passion for cleanliness. Once on your knees, they 

 will pick you from head to foot, not letting a wrinkle escape, and all 

 with the most serious air. My rhesus could not endure badly dressed 

 persons. He was always ready to defend me, and to spring upon any 

 one who would touch me with the tip of his finger. He had no respect 

 for children, but acted as if he took them to be large monkeys, and 

 would sometimes attack them when they were too saucy. Some of 

 the other monkeys, however, seemed to be quite fond of them. The 

 rhesus appreciated the inferiority of my servants to myself, and would 

 become angry at any one of them when I reprimanded him, his anger 

 being modulated according to my tone, and sometimes leading him to 

 acts. He co-operated in all my gestures when I acted as if I were 

 beating a man or a dog, but if it were another monkey that was threat- 

 ened he took its side. The feeling of compassion is not strange to 

 monkeys. They will defend and protect threatened individuals, some- 

 times offering their own bodies as a shield. They extend their com- 

 miseration to animals of another species. The rhesus became furious 



