THE PLAY OF ANIMALS. 185 



The probability of this story is indeed not enhanced 

 when we learn that the method of catching the monkeys 

 familiar to readers of Speckter's story book, namely, 

 that of drawing on boots in their presence and then 

 leaving the boots as a trap, was known to the ancients; 

 but all such tales go to prove how impressive the mon- 

 key's imitativeness is. Modern accounts, too, are chiefly 

 taken up with mimicry of human actions. Fr. Ellen- 

 dorf relates a good example of curiosity, imitation, and 

 experimentation combined in the person of a little 

 black ape with a white head that he brought from Costa 

 Rica. " On the first day that I let him run about in 

 the sitting room, he sat before me on the table and 

 eagerly examined everything there. Pretty soon he 

 came upon a little matchbox and soon had it open and 

 the contents scattered about on the table. I took a 

 match, rubbed it on the box cover and held it near 

 him. Full of astonishment, he rolled his little eyes 

 and gazed at the clear flame. I struck a second and a 

 third and held them out to him. At last he stretched 

 out his paw, hesitatingly took the match, held it be- 

 fore his face, and watched the flame admiringly. 

 Suddenly it touched his finger and he instantly threw 

 the match away. I closed the box and placed it before 

 me. From his hasty manner I thought he would open 

 it at once, but he did not. He went near it, looked 

 and smelt all about it without taking hold of it, then 

 he came to me, making a low pleading sound and cling- 

 ing to me, as if he were full of wonder and wanted to 

 ask what this could be. Then he returned to the box, 

 handled it all over and tried to open it, but could not 

 do it alone, and came back to me with the same plead- 

 ing tone. I struck another match on the cover and 

 gave it to him when it was burned out. Then he took 



