THE BARBARY APE. 1QJ 



Description Curious combats. 



THE BARBARY APE. 



THIS animal, sometimes called the magot, is 

 more sullen, vicious and untractable than the 

 rest of the species. The head is large, and the 

 face approaches nearer to that of a dog than of 

 man. The body is covered with brownish hair, 

 except on the belly, which inclines to yellow. 

 When standing upon his hind legs, the animal is 

 about three feet high ; and when resting, he sup- 

 ports his body on two prominent callosities. The 

 cheeks are furnished with pouches, which the 

 creature generally fills with food before he begins 

 to eat. It walks on four in preference to two 

 legs ; its manners are peculiarly gross ; and when 

 irritated or displeased it exhibits and grinds its 

 teeth. 



These animals are generally very mischievous, 

 and are said to assemble in large troops on the 

 open plains of India; when, if they see any of 

 the women going to market, they immediately 

 attack them, and take away their provisions. 

 Tavernier, alluding to this species, asserts, that 

 some of the Indians have a curious mode of 

 amusing themselves at their expense. These 

 people place five or six baskets of rice, forty or 

 fifty yards asunder, in an open ground near their 

 retreat, and by every basket put a number of 

 stout cudgels: they then retire to some hiding- 

 place, not far distant, to watch the result. The 



