186 NATURALIST'S CABINET, 



Imitative manners. 



sailors, and would go, like them, into the kitchen 

 for its mess. At the approach of night it lay 

 down to sleep, and prepared its bed, by shaking 

 well the hay, on which it slept, and putting it in 

 proper order; and, lastly, covering itself warm 

 with the coverlet. One day, seeing the padlock 

 of its chain opened with a key, and shut again, 

 it seized a little bit of stick, and put it into the 

 key-hole, turning it about in all directions to 

 ascertain whether the padlock would open or not. 

 On its first arrival in Holland, it had but very 

 Jittle hair, except on its back and arms: but on 

 the approach of winter it became w ell-covered ; 

 the hair on the back being three inches in 

 length. The whole animal then appeared of a 

 chesnut colour; the skin of the face, &c. was of 

 a mouse colour, but about the eyes and round 

 the mouth of a dull flesh colour." It lived about 

 seven months in Holland, and, after its death, 

 was deposited in the museum of the prince of 

 Orange. 



The Comte de Buffon saw one of these animals 

 which always walked on two feet, even when car- 

 rying heavy burthens. " His aspect/' says that na- 

 turalist, " was melancholy, his deportment grave, 

 his movements regular, his disposition gentle, 

 and very different from that of other apes. Un- 

 like the baboon or the monkey, who are fond of 

 mischief, and only obedient through fear, a look 

 kept him in awe ; while the other animals could 



