MONKEY TRICKS. 



47 



he managed to get into the yard where his mistress kept a few pet bantam fowls,and after 

 robbing them of their eggs, he secured one bf the poor hens, with which he proceeded to 

 the kitchen, and then commenced plucking it. The noise that the poor bird made 

 brought some of the servants to the rescue, but they found it in such a pitiful and bleed- 

 ing state, that in mercy it was at once killed. 



" After this outrageous act, Mr. Monkey was chained up, which humiliated him so 

 much that he steadily refused his food, and soon died." 



In their native woods these animals are very amusing if they can be watched without 

 exciting their anger or fears. They chase one another about the branches, screaming, 

 chattering with delight when they have succeeded in playing off a practical joke on a 

 comrade, and anon shrieking with anger when suffering from a joke played on them- 

 selves. Not only do they chase the members of their own race, but wage a constant war 

 against the tail-feathers of the brilliant and noisy parrots that inhabit the same country. 



The motives that incite the monkeys to pluck out these feathery trophies are twofold, 

 each of them dear to the very soul of the mischievous creature. The first and most 

 obvious motive is that of sheer mischief, but the second is of rather a more complex 

 character. When an immature feather is recently drawn from a bird, its quill portion is 

 generally soft, and filled with the material by which the feather is supplied with nourish- 

 ment. The monkeys take great delight in sucking these soft feathers ; and in order to 

 procure a supply of this curious dainty, chase the poor parrots, even to the tops of the 

 trees. At first sight, it would appear that the legs and arms of the monkey would have 

 little chance of winning a prize defended by the beak and wings of the parrots, which 

 sit exultantly screaming on twigs that bear their weight easily enough, but are too slen- 

 der even for the monkeys to venture upon. But the restless vigilance and quick hand 

 of the monkey often win the day ; and while the parrot is shrieking defiance to an 

 enemy in front, it is suddenly startled from its fancied security by the loss of its tail, 

 which has been snatched away by a stealthy foe from behind. The deafening din which 

 is occasioned by the joint voices of parrots and monkeys, may be easier imagined than 

 described. 



That the monkeys should take an interest in so singular a game, and should play it 

 with such spirit, is no matter of wonder, inasmuch as they have nothing to lose in case 

 of failure, and a pleasant little reward in case of success. But the parrots seem to be 

 actuated by very strange motives when they consent to hazard so valuable a stake upon 

 their own alertness ; and even if they win the game, can gain nothing but the retention 

 of their own tails. A stroke or two of their wings would carry them beyond the reach 

 of the most agile monkey that ever tenanted a tree ; but they prefer to measure their 

 own agility and vigilance against that of their four-handed antagonists, and often pay 

 the penalty of so witless a pastime. 



Were the parrots capable of connected reasoning, they might sometimes find cause 

 for alleviating the pangs of defeat, by vindictive satisfaction in seeing their foes succumb 

 to a still worse fate than that which had been inflicted on themselves. If the monkey 

 likes to suck the bleeding trophies snatched painfully from the bird's person, there are 

 many animals which feel a great partiality for the monkey, not as a pleasant companion, 

 but as an agreeable article of diet. Some of these foes, such as the leopards and 

 snakes, have been already mentioned ; but there is one enemy who is more to be 

 dreaded than serpent or pard, and this foe is man. 



Monkey flesh forms a favorite article of food with the human inhabitants of the same 

 country, and is said to be tolerably good eating, though extremely dry and sapless. Part 

 of this fault seems, however, to lie with the very primitive style of cooking which is prev- 

 alent in those regions, and which is achieved by running a sharp stake through the 

 animal's body, and letting it roast before the fire. 



Europeans find a difficulty in accustoming themselves to the sight of broiled monkey ; 

 for it presents an appearance so unpleasantly suggestive of a toasted child, that horrid 

 ideas of cannibalism arise in the mind, and even a stomach sharpened by hunger 

 revolts from the unsightly banquet. 



The well-known Mona monkey belongs to the same genus as the foregoing animals. 

 All the long-tailed African monkeys are termed Monas by the Moors. On account of 



