9 o THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM 



in search of delicacies. No native would dream of taking active, 

 offensive measures against the four-handed robbers." 



There is no doubt that in considering the history of mankind, 

 which is, in parts, as entertaining as a romance, the love evinced 

 for certain kinds of animals should not be overlooked, even though, 

 as is the case with some of the creatures treated of in this section, 

 the regard shown towards them is not altogether of an uninspired 

 character. Nations a good deal less Christianized than we are 

 have shown a peculiar affection for the brute creation, and although 

 to-day, with the civilizing influences which follow in the train of 

 the world's progress, it is perhaps essential that obsolete manners 

 and customs should be eradicated, there is, nevertheless^ some 

 amount of real charm in this old-time love for the animal world. 



Therefore, although we may on occasions write disparagingly 

 of some kinds of animals which in these modern days have, through 

 being succoured during the ages, become so engrafted with the 

 history and customs of nations as to be difficult to stamp out, it 

 is pleasant to recognize that the lower animals of the Earth have 

 not been forgotten by mankind, even if we exclude those beasts 

 which man has paid attention to for selfish reasons. 



The Hanuman is not a heavily-built Monkey. It has a tail 

 longer than the body, and this latter measures about two feet. 

 The greyish-brown fur is darker along the back, but as the animal 

 grows older the coat becomes considerably more darkened. A 

 good description of the appearance of the Langur has been given 

 by one writer as under: "The tout ensemble of the Langur is so 

 peculiar that no one who has once been told of a long, loose-limbed, 

 slender Monkey, with a prodigious tail, black face and overhanging 

 brows of long, stiff, black hair, projecting like a penthouse, 1 would 

 fail to recognize the animal." 



FETTERED, EGYPTIAN, OR CAFFRE CAT. The last sacred 

 animal upon our list is the Caffre Cat, which is worthy of mention 

 because it is recognized by many authorities as "the parent stock 

 from which the Domestic Cat of Europe has sprung." In size 

 it resembles a large specimen of one of our own pussies, and in 

 colour is yellowish-grey, striped and banded, and having a black- 

 ringed tail. As will be observed from Fig. 70, the tail is quite 

 long. 



This Cat ranges throughout Africa and penetrates also into 

 1 A shed standing aslope from the main building. 



