THE DIANA MONKEY 



(Cercopithecus diatta) 



THE Diana Monkey is one of the most notable species in the world, 

 and always attracts attention in menageries, from its showy pied 

 colouration and quaint "goatee" beard. The sexes are alike, and the 

 young animal much resembles the older ones, being already bearded 

 even when quite small. 



There is, however, a certain amount of individual difference, the 

 bright colour at the region of the thighs varying from light yellowish 

 buff to bright bay. This monkey would appear to be very proud of its 

 btfard, as it is said to carefully hold it out of the way with its hand 

 when drinking. According to some recent authorities, the monkey here 

 called the Diana, which has for a long time borne that name, is not the 

 true Diana of Linnaeus originally described, but the Roloway (Cerco- 

 pithecus roloway). The real animal is very similar, but has a quite short 

 beard, partly black in colour, and the abdomen black. Until, however, 

 some book on Mammals similar to the British Museum Catalogues of 

 Birds and Reptiles is published, it does not seem advisable to alter a 

 generally accepted name, and, in any case, popular names cannot be 

 changed like scientific ones, once they have found general acceptance. 



The Diana is not only a pretty and graceful monkey, but a very 

 lively and playful one ; as it grows old, however, it loses this amiability 

 and becomes more reserved and disagreeable. It is chiefly known from 

 menagerie specimens, for, as with most of these African monkeys, there 

 is little on record about its wild life ; it comes from the West Coast, and 

 is well known in Liberia. 



The group of Guenons, to which it belongs, are the common and 

 characteristic monkeys of Africa, and as they do fairly well in captivity, 

 and some are especially hardy, they are the best known monkeys in 

 captivity here also, with the exception of two or three of the com- 



