170 GROWTH AND DECLINE OP CULTURE. 



itj is cauglit by the native, wlio soon throws him on the fire and 

 makes a meal of him." "Ward, the missionary, declares that a 

 tame monkey in India, whose food the crows used to plunder 

 while lie sat on the top of his pole, did something very near 

 this, by shamming dead within reach, of tke food, and seizing 

 the first crow that came close enough.. When be bad caugbt 

 it, the story says, be put it between bis knees, debberately 

 plucked it, and threw it up into the air. The otber crows set 

 upon their disabled companion and pecked it to death, but tbey 

 let tbe monkey's store alone ever after. The Esquimaux so 

 far improves upon tbe Australian form of tbe art as to build 

 himself a bttle snow-but to sit in, with a hole large enough for 

 him to put bis hand througb to clutch tbe bird that comes down 

 upon tbe bait.' 



There is a curious little art, practised in various countries, 

 that of climbing trees by the aid of boops, fetters, or ropes. 

 Fatber Gilij thus describes it among the Indians of South 

 America : — " They are all extremely active in climbing trees, 

 and even tbe weaker women may be not uncommonly seen 

 plucking tbe fruit at tbeir tops. If tbe bark is so smootb and 

 slippery tbat tbey cannot go up by clinging, tbey use anotber 

 means. They make a hoop of wild vines, and putting their feet 

 inside, tbey use it as a support in climbing."^ This is what 

 tbe toddy-drawer of Ceylon uses to climb the palm with,^ but 

 tbe negro of tbe West Coast of Africa makes a larger boop 

 round tbe tree and gets inside it, resting the lower part of bis 

 back against it, and jerks it up tbe trunk witb bis bands, a little 

 at a time, di'awing bis legs up after 'it.* Ellis describes tbe 

 Tabitian boys tying then- feet together, four or five inches 

 apart, witb a piece of palm-bark, and witb tbe aid of this fetter 

 going up tbe cocoa-palms to gather the nuts f and Backhouse 

 mentions a different plan in use in opossum-catching in Van 

 Diemen's Land. Tbe native women wbo climbed tbe tall, 



' Collins, vol. i. p. 548. Ward, ' Hindoos,' p. 43. Klemm, C. Q., vol i. p. 314 ; 

 vol. ii. p. 292. 



^ Grilij, ' Saggio di Storia Americana ;' Eome, 1780-4, vol. ii. p. 40. See Bates, 

 The Naturalist on the R. Amazons ;' London, 1863, toI. ii. p. 1 9G. 

 2 Teunent, ' Ceylon,' vol. ii. p. 523. See Plin., siii. 7. 

 •• Klemm, C. G., vol. iii. p. 236. « Ellis, vol. i. p. 371. 



