ioo APES AND MONKEYS. 



monuments : and it appears to be undoubtedly the Cebus of the ancients, which, on 

 the authority of Pythagoras, was described by ^Elian as inhabiting the Red Sea 

 littoral, and was said to be of a bright flame-colour, with whitish whiskers and 

 under-parts. 



SYKES'S MONKEY (Cercopithecua alboyidaris). 



With the nisnas we concluded our notice of the group of guenons in which the 

 head is oval, the muzzle somewhat produced, the whiskers stiff', and the general 

 colour greenish or red. 



With the East African Sykes's monkey we come to the second and more 

 typical group of these animals which are distinguished by the general form of the 

 head being rounded, the muzzle very short, the whiskers short and rounded and 

 not directed backwards, and the fur generally of a blackish hue, more or less 

 tinged with yellow. 



The present species appears to be the East African representative of the mona 

 monkey, to be immediately mentioned, from which it is distinguished by the absence 

 of the white spot on the haunches, and the pure white colour of the under-parts 

 and chest, which extends on to the throat, and thus suggests the scientific name of 

 the species. It is also of larger size than the mona, being the largest representative 

 of the genus. 



This monkey was originally brought to England by Colonel W. H. Sykes, 

 by whom it was described in 1831. The original specimen was purchased at 

 Bombay, and was said to have come from Madagascar (where, by the way, monkeys 

 are unknown), but it was doubtless imported from Zanzibar. 



In describing the original living specimen, Colonel Sykes observes that its 

 manners " are grave and sedate. Its disposition is gentle, but not affectionate ; free 

 from that capricious petulance and mischievous irascibility which characterise so 

 many of the African species, but yet resenting irritating treatment, and evincing 

 its resentment by very sharp blows with its anterior hands. It never bit any 

 person on board ship, but so seriously lacerated three other monkeys, its fellow- 

 passengers, that two of them died of the wounds. It readily ate meat, and would 

 choose to pick a bone, even when plentifully supplied with vegetables and dried 

 fruits." 



THE MONA MONKEY (Cercopithecus mono). 



One of the most familiar of all the guenons is the mona monkey, represented 

 in the upper figure of the accompanying woodcut. This beautiful little monkey 

 may be always easily recognised by the presence of a large and distinct white spot 

 of an oval shape, situated on each hip immediately in front of the root of the tail ; 

 the feature being quite peculiar to the species. In size it is rather smaller than 

 the patas. 



The mona is a West African monkey; and has no real right to its name, 

 which is merely the Moorish word for monkeys in general. The general hue of the 

 fur of this monkey is described by Dr. Gray as blackish-olive, finely grizzled with 

 yellow ; this gradually darkens towards the hinder parts of the body, so that the 

 tail and the outer surfaces of the limbs are nearly black. The under surface of the 



