MONKEYS. 203 



delicate Vinca rosea, or the perfumed jasmine 

 distributed its agreeable fragrance through the 

 ambient air, all of which seemed favourites 

 with the expatriated Chinese. Around these 

 cleared spots, a dense forest appeared mingled 

 with a profusion of rich vegetation, and a small, 

 narrow pathway would occasionally permit us 

 to penetrate into its recesses. Trees and shrubs, 

 of infinite variety, gave a rich and beautiful ap- 

 pearance to the wilderness, and enabled me to 

 enrich my botanical collection with numerous 

 valuable specimens. 



Occasionally, the noisy and mischievous mon- 

 keys would be seen gambolling and spring- 

 ing from tree to tree, keeping up a continual 

 chattering on our approach ; a gun fired at them 

 produced great consternation among this ludi- 

 crous, but active race ; they bounded away 

 (although none had received injury) with great 

 rapidity, screaming dreadfully, and overwhelmed 

 with horror and dismay, as if they had instinc- 

 tive knowledge of our destructive powers. One 

 unfortunate monkey, the nearest to us, and the 



them over the shoes, tliey poHsh the latter by aid of a brush ; 

 it certainly prevents the white dresses, usually worn in 

 eastern climates, from being sullied by the shoes, which often 

 happens when blacking lias been used ; this is probably the 

 cause of its being called the shoe-jiower by Europeans. 



