QUADRUMANA. 11 



their arms, as a rope-dancer by means of his pole. 

 As far as we are enabled to judge of their characters 

 from immature age, " they appear to be of a grave 

 and gentle disposition, totally free from that petulance 

 and mischievous curiosity which so strongly charac- 

 terize the Monkeys ; very affectionate towards those 

 who treat them kindly, solemn and deliberate in all 

 their actions, extremely circumspect and intelligent, 

 seldom moved to violent passion, but peevish and 

 fretful when crossed or disappointed. They rarely 

 walk on two legs, except when they have occasion to 

 carry something in their fore-hands. Nearly, or al- 

 together deprived of callosities, they do not repose in 

 the manner of ordinary Monkeys, on their hams, but 

 stretch themselves on their sides, like human beings, 

 and support their heads on their hands, or by some 

 other means supply the use of a pillow." In some of 

 the accounts given of the manners of those individuals 

 which have been brought to Europe, there seems a 

 tendency to ascribe to them a greater degree of intel- 

 ligence than is perhaps their due. A great facility of 

 imitating the actions of men is common to the whole 

 order ; but even the docility with which they have 

 submitted to training is not greater than that of the 

 dog, elephant, horse, or even of some of the birds, 

 while in real intelligence they probably yield to the 

 first three. It is not unlikely that all this gentleness 

 and docility would vanish with increasing age, and 

 that their great strength is often exerted at the ex- 

 pense of the weaker denizens of the woods ; for, 



