MONKEY KIND. 313 



one of them holding the branch above, the rest 

 swing down, balancing to and fro, like a pendu- 

 lum, until the undermost is enabled to catch hold 

 of the lower branches of some neighbouring tree. 

 When the hold is fixed below, the monkey lets 

 go that which was above, and thus comes under- 

 most in turn ; but, creeping up along the chain, 

 attains the next branches, like the rest ; and thus 

 they all take possession of the tree, without ever 

 coming to the ground. 



When in a state of domestic tameness, those 

 animals are very amusing, and often fill up a 

 vacant hour when other entertainment is want- 

 ing. There are few that are not acquainted with 

 their various mimicries, and their capricious feats 

 of activity. But it is generally in company with 

 other animals of a more simple disposition that 

 their tricks and superior instincts are shown ; 

 they seem to take a delight in tormenting them, 

 and I have seen one of them amusing itself for 

 hours together, in imposing upon the gravity of 

 a cat. Erasmus tells us of a large monkey, kept 

 by Sir Thomas More, that, one day diverting 

 itself in his garden, where some tame rabbits 

 were kept, played several of his usual pranks 

 among them, while the rabbits scarcely well 

 knew what to make of their new acquaintance ; 

 in the mean time, a weasel, that came for very 

 different purposes than those of entertainment, 

 was seen peering about the place in which the 

 rabbits were fed, and endeavouring to make its 

 way, by removing a board that closed their hutch. 

 While the monkey saw no danger, it continued a 



