THE CHIMPANZEE. 23 



swung himself from side to side of the cage, by means of the ropes that are suspended 

 from the roof ; but he preserved a dignified air as became the sole ruler. 



There was a kind of aristocratic calmness about the animal, and he would, at inter- 

 vals, pause in his airy promenade, and, seating himself on a convenient spot, delib- 

 erately scan the large assembly that generally surrounded the monkey-house. His sur- 

 vey completed, he would eat a nut or a piece of biscuit, and recommence his leisurely 

 gambols. His health seemed to be perfectly good, as was shown by the alertness 

 of his movements, and the full, open look of his eyes. 



A sad contrast to this animal was presented by a wretched little Chimpanzee which I 

 saw in England. It was still possessed of sufficient strength to move about its cage, 

 but executed all its movements in a slow, listless manner, that would have told its own 

 tale, had not the frequent hacking cough spoken so plainly of the malady that was con- 

 suming its vitals. The countenance of the poor creature was very sad, and it did not 

 appear to take the least interest in anything that occurred. 



I have seen many monkeys with this sad aspect, and was always haunted by their 

 piteous looks for days afterwards. 



The ravages which this disease can make in the delicate formation of a monkey's lung, 

 before the creature finally succumbs, must be seen to be appreciated. The whole organ 

 is so eaten up and its color and substance so changed, that the spectator marvels that 

 the creature's life could have been sustained for an hour under such circumstances. 



As long, however, as they resist the untoward influence of our climate, the specimens 

 which we have known, have always been extremely gentle and docile. Taught by the 

 instinctive dread of cold, they soon appreciate the value of clothing, and learn to wrap 

 themselves in mats, rugs, or blankets, with perfect gravity and decorum. Dress ex- 

 ercises its fascinations even over the ape, for one of these animals has been known to 

 take such delight in a new and handsome costume, that he repudiated the previous 

 dress, and in order to guard against the possibility of reverting to the cast-off garment, 

 tore it to shreds. Whether the natives of Western Africa speak rightly in asserting 

 that the Chimpanzee is capable of using weapons, is at present rather a doubtful point. 

 The negroes say that the " Baboos," as they call the animals (the name evidently 

 being a corruption from our own word Baboon), make use of clubs, staves, and other 

 rude weapons, and that they can use them with great address. Certain it is, that the 

 adult Chimpanzee has been known to snap with a single effort branches so thick, that 

 the united strength of two men could hardly bend them. But whether the animal 

 would possess sufficient intellectual power to make use of a weapon thus obtained, is 

 not so certain. 



It is said that they have a sufficient amount of knowledge to be aware that the 

 strength of a man lies in his weapons, and not in his muscles only ; and that if a 

 hunter should draw on himself the vengeance of the troop, by wounding or killing one 

 of their number, he can escape certain death, by flinging down his gun. The enraged 

 apes gather round the object that dealt the fatal stroke, and tear it to pieces with 

 every mark of fury. While they are occupied with wreaking their vengeance on the 

 senseless object, the owner of the fatal weapon escapes unnoticed. 



The strength of arm with which this animal is endowed, has already been shown. 

 But although the hinder limbs are not possessed of that gigantic muscular strength 

 which is given to the arms, yet they are powerful to a degree that would be remarkable 

 in any animal less athletic than the Chimpanzee. One of these creatures has been 

 seen to lower itself backwards from the bar on which it was sitting, and to draw it- 

 self up again, merely by the grasp of the hinder feet. 



The age to which the Chimpanzee attains in its wild state, is as yet unknown. 

 But to judge by the length of time that elapses before the animal reaches maturity, its 

 life cannot be very much less than that of the human inhabitants of the same land. 

 Nine or ten years are spent by the Chimpanzee before it has reached the perfection of 

 its development ; and it is well known that the inhabitants of the tropical regions 

 attain to maturity at a very early age indeed. 



A peculiarly fine specimen of the Chimpanzee, which was tamed and domesticated 

 in its native country, lived to the age of twenty-one years. This animal was possessed 



