122 



APES AXD MOXKEYS. 



of macaques are found in the caverns of Madras, and in certain deposits of com- 

 pax'atively late age in the Punjab which belong to that epoch of geological history 

 known as the Pliocene. 



In Europe fossil macaques occur in fresh-water deposits belonging to the same 

 Pliocene period, both in the south of France, in Switzerland, and also in the north 

 of Italy, in the valley of the Arno. The occurrence of these extinct monkeys need 

 not imply any very great change of climate in those regions. The ease is, however, 

 very diffei-ent with the single fragment of the jaw of a macaque which has been 

 found fossil in our own country, near the village of Grays, in Essex, in strata 

 which belong to the latest or Pleistocene epoch of geological hi.story. This monkey 

 must have lived in England during the time when man had already made his 

 appearance ; and there is no reasonable doubt that the climate must then have 

 been considerably milder than it is at the present day, since it is impossible to 

 imagine that monkeys could survive our English winters, even if they could 

 find a living in our woods during the summer. We have already mentioned that 

 these extinct European macaques maj' be those fi'om which the magot has taken 

 origin. 



In addition to these extinct macaques, there occur in the Pliocene rocks of 

 Attica and the south of France other monkeys which appear to indicate a transition 

 from the macaques to the langurs. These monkeys, which are respectively known 

 as the mesopitheque and the dolichopitheque, have indeed short and stout limbs 

 like those of the macaques, but skulls resembling those of the langur. Unfortmiately 

 we shall never know the structure of their soft parts, so that their exact relation- 

 ships cannot be determined. 



The Black Ape. 



Genus Cynopithecus. 



The Island of Celebes is remarkable for possessing several altogether peculiar 

 types of Mammals, among which is the so-called black ape {Cynopitliecas nic/er), 

 the sole representative of a genus in some respects connecting the preceding group 

 of the macaques with the follo^ving one of the baboons. It was represented many 

 years ago by one living example in the old menagerie at the Tower, and by another 

 in that of Exeter Change. At that time, however, the true habitat of this animal 

 was quite unknown, Cuvier suggesting that it came from the Philippines ; but its 

 home was subsequentlj' found to be Celebes. This monkej', which is shown in the 

 accompanj-ing figure, is a decidedh^ handsome animal, the whole of the fur, as well 

 as the naked parts of the face, hands, and feet, being of an intense black, the only 

 exception to this coloration being the large callosities on the buttocks, which are 

 flesh-coloured. The hair of the body is long and woolly, but that on the limbs 

 shoi'ter. The tail is represented by a mere tubercle, not more than an inch in 

 length. The face is characterised by the marked protnision of the muzzle, which 

 is abruptly terminated ; the nostrils opening obliquely, and placed some distance 

 behind the exti-emity of the muzzle. It is this position of the nostrils which 

 connects this monkey with the macaques, and distinguishes it from the true 



