70 MR. G. L. BATES OX THE [Feb. 7, 



only sound tliat betrays the presence of monkeys is the rustling 

 of boughs as they pkick fruits or jump from branch to branch. 

 Only when they discover the hunter and become frightened, do 

 they utter a little cackling sort of chatter ; then they scurry 

 away, and if they are in thick foliage they hide and remain 

 hidden securely as long as the hunter has patience to wait for 

 them to come out. But if they are in an open tree they may be 

 shot while running, if a man is quick enough. If the leader has 

 passed ahead, sometimes the others will venture out in plain sight, 

 in order to follow him. 



These monkeys very rarely come to the ground ; I myself have 

 never seen one on or even near the ground, except when wounded. 

 They can pass from the branches of one tree to those of another, 

 not touching it, by jumping ; they jump upon and grasp the 

 swaying outmost twigs, which bend far down with the weight, 

 and then spring up. The monkey merely holds on as the branch 

 sways down, but with the rebound he scrambles along to the 

 larger branches. Monkeys can cross any but the largest rivers in 

 this way, on the nearly meeting tree-tops. 



These monkeys sleep in the trees, but do not make rude beds 

 of the branches as does the Chimpanzee. I have asked many 

 natives hoAv monkeys manage to keep from falling while asleep, 

 and the answers are various. But there seems probability in the 

 account that they sleep sitting, and holding on to branches or to 

 each other. 



The habits of the three commonest kinds of Cercopithecus are 

 very similar, and what is said above applies to all of them. The 

 " osok" (C. cejjiuts) seems to be the most nimble, and the white- 

 nosed " avemba" (C. nic^itens) the least so; the latter kind is 

 rather oftener killed than the others. Different kinds are often 

 found together in the same company. The calls of the three 

 kinds, the two mentioned and the "esvima"(C erxlebeni), are 

 very much alike, but one can learn to distinguish them. 



The habits of the little " ozem " (C. tcdapoiii) differ in some 

 respects from those of the other kinds. It is never found far 

 from a large stream of water, and generally keeps to the trees on 

 the very banks of streams. At villages situated near rivers I 

 have been told tbat these little monkeys steal coi-n from the 

 gardens. They are quicker in their movements even than the 

 others. Their call is veiy different, being a little explosive 

 '' k-sss ! " that sounds like the splash of a stick thrown into the 

 water. 



The only remaining species of Cercointliecus that I collected is 

 C. iieglectus, called "avut" or "fuii." I obtained it only near the 

 river Ja, as I did also Cercocehus agilis, called " nsak." But I 

 heard of them both on the Benito. They seem to be found only 

 near large rivers. Hunters at the Ja told me that they find both 

 these kinds only on the banks of streams. They hunt them on a 

 small tributary of the Ja, near its mouth, by wading in the 

 stream when the watei' is low. 



