THE SIMPAL 17 



bird. Indeed, these creatures seem to pass a life that is more aerial 

 than that of many birds, putting out of question the heavy earth-walk- 

 ing birds which have not the power of raising themselves from the 

 ground even if they had the will. 



The color of this species is extremely variable, and the offspring is 

 not necessarily of the same color as the parent. This difference of tint 

 is not solely caused by age, for it frequently happens that a cream-col- 

 ored mother has a dark infant, and vice versa. Of the specimens in the 

 British Museum, hardly any two are alike in the tint of their soft woolly- 

 fur. Some are nearly black, some are brown, and some are of a light 

 cream-color. 



A very different group of animals now comes before us, separated 

 even by the outer form from the apes. 



The chief distinction which strikes the eye is the presence of a tail, 

 which is of some length, and in several species, among which we may 

 mention the Simpai itself, is extremely long and slender in proportion 

 to the body. The arms of these animals are not of that inordinate 

 length which is seen in the limbs of the apes, but are delicate and well 

 proportioned. The hinder paws, or hands, are extremely slender, their 

 thumbs being short, and are twice the length of the fore-paws. 



Some of these monkeys are furnished with small cheek-pouches, 

 while others appear to be destitute of these natural pockets. The cal- 

 losities of the hinder quarters are well shown. 



In this group of the Quadruraana, the characteristics of the apes 

 disappear, and the animals betray more clearly their quadrupedal na- 

 ture. Very seldom do they assume the erect attitiTde, preferring to run 

 on all-fours like a dog, that being their legitimate mode of progression. 

 Even when they do stand on their hind feet, the long tail at once de- 

 prives them of that grotesque semblance of the human form, which is 

 so painfully exhibited in the tailless apes. Besides these external dis- 

 tinctions, there are many remarkable peculiarities in the anatomy of 

 the internal organs, which also serve to settle the position of the ani- 

 mal in the order of nature. Among these internal organs, the stomach 

 displays the most remarkable construction, being very large, and di- 

 vided 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 decorated. 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 abdomen are not so bright as the rest 

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

 2* B 



