b animals in menageries. 



The Common Green Monkey. 



Cercopithecus Sabaeus, Geoff. Simla Sab^a, Lynn. Singe 

 vert, Briss. Callitricbe, Buffon, Zool. Gard. x. 303. 



This is one of the most common monkeys seen in 

 menageries and shows ; yet so deficient are we in animal 

 biographies, that the celebrated Adanson is the only 

 writer who gives any account of its natural habits. This 

 enterprising traveller found the green monkey in im- 

 mense numbers in the forests of Senegal : they remain 

 on the trees in large troops ; and preserve the most pro- 

 found silence^ even when they are wounded. Totally 

 unconscious of being surrounded by these, mischievous 

 little animals, the first intimation that our traveller had 

 of their presence was, by being pelted with dead 

 branches of trees, which they flung upon him from 

 above on every side ; nor were they to be intimidated 

 by the discharge of his gun : they returned to the 

 attack, and twenty-three were killed in less than an 

 hour. M. F. Cuvier speaks of one which was at the 

 Paris menagerie, as remarkably beautiful and gentle. It 

 was fond of being caressed by those whom it knew, and 

 seldom evinced any desire to hurt. When contented, 

 its satisfaction was expressed by a peculiar gentle grunt. 



The size of the Callitrijc, or green monkey, seems to 

 vary. One writer describes it as from sixteen to eighteen 

 inches long ; another, from twenty-one to twenty-two 

 inches ; both measurements excluding the tail, which is 

 much longer. The upper parts of the body are of a 

 greenish yellow, resulting from a combination of yellow 

 and black rings upon the hair, in which, however, the 

 yellow predominates: the external facing of the limbs is 

 more greyish : the tail ends in a parcel of long yellow 

 hairs : the low^er parts of the body, limbs, &c. are grey- 

 ish ; and the face, ears, and skin of the hands are 

 black : in some, the neck and chest are white. 



