68 THE CHINESE MONKEY. 



In their depredations on the sugar grounds, one 

 of the number is always placed as a centinel in 

 some adjoining tree, wliile the rest load themselves 

 with the booty. When he observes an enemy, he 

 screams out to his companions, who, carrying as 

 many canes as they can grasp witJi their right arm, 

 instantly run off on three legs. When close pur- 

 sued, they drop their prize, and endeavour to save 

 themselves by scrambling up the trees, their usual 

 places of abode. 



Wlien fruits and succulent plants fail, they eat 

 insects, and sometimes descend to the margins of 

 rivers, and the Sea-coast, to catch fish and crabs. 

 They are said to put their tails between the pincers 

 of the crab, and, when these are closed, to carry it 

 quickly off, and eat it at leisure. They gather 

 Cocoa-nuts, and are well acquainted with the me- 

 lliod of extracting the juice for drink^ and the 

 kernel for food. — The natives often take them by 

 means of a Cocoa-nut with a hole in it. This is 

 laid near their haunts, and some one of them takes 

 it up, and with <lifficulty thrusts his paw into the 

 hole in order to get at the kernel ; the people who 

 are on watch, immediately run up, and seize the 

 animal before he can disengage himself*. 



» Buff. Quad. viii. My. 



