42 



THE EDINBURGH JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY, 



statements : — " There are in the skin of the white race three distinct 

 laminae or membranes — the derm and two epiderms ; and in the skin of 

 tne black race there is, besides the derm and the two epiderms of the white 

 race, a particular apparatus — an apparatus altogether wanting in the man 

 of the white race — an apparatus composed of two layers, the external of 

 which is the pigmentum, or colouring matter of the Negroes. Hence, then, 

 there is in the skin of the black race an apparatus which is wanting in 

 that of the white race. The two races, therefore, form two essentially 

 and specifically distinct races. These two races are not only distinct by 

 a character of form, such as are the characters drawn from the cranium and 

 face ; they are so by a character of structure, by a special and very compli- 

 cated apparatus which exists in one of the two races, and is wanting in 

 the other. " The white and the black race, then, are two essentially dis- 

 tinct races. The same is true of the red or American race. Anatomy 

 discovers, under the second epiderm of the individual of the red, copper- 

 coloured Indian, or American race, (for this race is designated indifferently 

 by these names,) a pigmental apparatus, which is the seat of colour in this 

 race, as in the black. M. Cuvier says of the American race, ' That 

 although it has not yet been clearly reduced to an}' of the races of the 

 Old Continent, it does not possess at once a precise and constant character, 

 constituting it a particular race !' He would assuredly have thought dif- 

 ferently had he known that the copper-red tint is owing to a special de- 

 terminate apparatus, distinct from all the other parts of the skin. In 

 considering, therefore, the characters of structure, there are three speci- 

 fically and primarily distinct races. The white or Caucasian, the Negro 

 or Ethiopic, and the red or American." 



These are strong statements, in which are included a distinct claim to 

 an important discovery, and a bold inference, deduced from that alleged 

 discovery. It is with hesitation we demur at the conclusions of so dis- 

 tinguished a physiologist as M. Flourens, and yet we cannot help hesitat- 

 ing, especially after M. Breschet's statements, expressing the opinions of 

 the best physiologists of the day, both as to the novelty of the discovery, 

 and the accuracy of the conclusion. 



could learn from the natives, they do not reach their full growth till be- 

 tween nine and ten years of age. Their height, when full-grown, is said 

 to be between four and five feet ; indeed, I was credibly informed that 

 a male Chimpansee, which had been shot in the neighbourhood, measured 

 four feet five inches in length. The natives say that, in their wild state, 

 their strength is enormous, and that they have seen them snap boughs off 

 the trees with the greatest ease, which the united strength of two men 

 could scarcely bend. They are gregarious, and the natives affirm always 

 travel in strong bodies, armed with sticks, which they use with much 

 dexterity : they are also exceedingly watchful. 



Macacus melanotus — M. Ogilby states that the specimen (Papio 

 melanotus, Ogilb.) in the Gardens was young, and said to have been 

 brought from Madras. It has a considerable resemblance to the common 

 Barbary species, (Macacus Inuus,) but differs in the blackish-brown shade 

 which covers the upper parts of the head, neck, shoulders, and back. 

 The tail is about an inch long, and perfectly naked. The individual has 

 all the liveliness, good nature, and grimace of the young Magot. Were 

 this animal really a Papio, it would form a singular exception, as the two 

 known species of Papio (Mandrills, Cuv.) are confined to Africa. We 

 have little doubt that it will prove on examination to be a Macacus. 



NOTICE or THE CHIMPANSEE, AND OF A NEW SPECIES OF MACACO. 



At a late meeting of the Zoological Society, some interesting observations 

 were made on the habits of a Chimpansee captured in the Bullam country 

 by Lieut. Sayers, and on a new species of monkey, now, like the former, 

 in the Zoological Gardens, described by M. Ogilby under the name of 

 Papio melanosus, but which, in our opinion, is evidently a Macacus. 

 We shall supply a short summary of these communications. The Chim- 

 pansee, observes M. Sayers, on becoming mine, was delivered over to a 

 black boy, my servant, and in a few days became so attached to him as 

 to be exceedingly troublesome, screaming and throwing himself into the 

 most violent passion if he attempted to leave him for a moment. He 

 evinced also a most strange affection for clothes, never omitting an op- 

 portunity of possessing himself of the first garment he came across, when- 

 ever he had the means of entering my apartment, which he carried imme- 

 diately to the piazza, where invariably he seated himself upon it with a 

 self-satisfied grunt ; nor would he resign it without a hard fight, and on 

 being worsted, exhibited every symptom of the greatest anger. Observ- 

 ing this strange fancy, I procured him a piece of cotton cloth, which, 

 much to the amusement of all who saw him, he was never without, car- 

 rying it with him wherever he went, nor could any temptation induce 

 him to resign it even for a moment. I adopted the following mode of 

 feeding him: — In the morning he received a piece of bread ahout the size 

 of a halfpenny loaf, steeped in water, or milk and water ; about two, a 

 couple of bananas or plantains ; and before he retired for the night, a 

 banana, orange, or slice of pine apple. The banana seemed to be his 

 favourite fruit ; for it he would forsake all other viands, and if not grati- 

 fied, would exhibit the utmost petulance. On one occasion I deemed it 

 necessary to refuse him one, upon which he threw himself into the most 

 violent passion, and uttering a piercing cry, knocked his head with such 

 force against the wall as to throw him on his back. His actions so 

 alarmed me for his safety, that I gave up the contest 4 in the height of 

 his passion, however, I never observed any disposition to bite, or other- 

 wise ill treat his keeper or myself. Although he would never object to 

 be caressed even by a stranger, yet I never saw him evince the slightest 

 disposition to make the acquaintance of any other animal. At the time 

 he came into my possession, I had two Patas Monkeys, and thinking 

 they might become acquainted, I placed the Chimpansee in the same 

 apartment, where he resided for five months, yet I never saw the least 

 desire, on his part, to become even friendly ; on the contrary, he showed 

 evident anger and dislike at their approach. His cunning was remark- 

 able. On all occasions where he thought he was unobserved, he would 

 not fail to steal every thing within his reach, for no other apparent pur- 

 pose than to gratify a propensity for thieving. In his habits, unlike the 

 Monkey tribe, he was exceedingly cleanly. At the time of his purchase, 

 tills animal appeared to be about fourteen months old, and from what I 



PRACTICABILITY OF DOMESTICATING SEALS. 



Whether the Seal might breed in captivity, and remain reclaimed from 

 the wild state, is yet to be learned, probably in those excellent establish- 

 ments, the Zoological Gardens. Almost all the instances of tame Seals, of 

 which we have any account, belong to the vitulina species : the trials I 

 have made on the rearing and education have been equally numerous on 

 the Great as on the Common Seal. By far the most interesting one I have 

 ever had was a young male of the barbata species : he was taken by myself 

 from a cave when only a few hours old, and in a day or two became as at- 

 tached to me as a dog. The varied movements and sounds by which he 

 expressed delight at my presence, and regret at my absence, were most af- 

 fecting ; these sounds were as like as possible to the inarticulate tones of 

 the human voice. I know no animal capable of displaying more affection 

 than he did, and his temper was the gentlest imaginable. I kept him for 

 four or five weeks, feeding him entirely on milk warm from the cow ; in 

 my temporary absence butter-milk was given him, and he died soon after. 

 Another was a female, also of the Great Seal species, which we captured 

 in a cave when about six weeks old, in October 1830. This individual 

 would never allow herself to be handled but by the person who chiefly 

 had charge of her, yet even she soon became comparatively familiar. It 

 was amusing to see how she ascended the stairs, which she often did, in- 

 tent, as it seemed, in examining every room in the house ; on showing to 

 her signs of displeasure and correction, she descended more rapidly and 

 safely than her awkwardness seemed to promise. She was fed from the 

 first on fresh fish alone, and grew and fattened considerably. We 

 had her carried down daily in a hand-barrow to the sea-side, where an 

 old excavation admitting the salt water was abundantly roomy and deep 

 for her recreation and our observation. After sporting and diving for 

 some time, she would come ashore, and seemed perfectly to understand 

 the use of the barrow. Often she tried to waddle from the house to the 

 water, or from the latter to her apartment, but finding this fatiguing, and 

 seeing preparations by her chairmen, she would of her own accord mount 

 her palanquin, and thus be carried as composedly as any Hindoo princess. 

 By degrees we ventured to let her go fairly into the sea, and she regularly 

 returned after a short interval ; but one day, during a thick fall of snow, 

 she was imprudently let off as usual, and, being decoyed some distance 

 out of sight of the shore by some wild ones which happened to be in the 

 bay at the time, she either could not find her way back, or voluntarily de- 

 camped. We had kept her about six months, and every moment she was 

 becoming more familiar ; we had dubbed her Finna, and she seemed to 

 know her name. Every one that saw her was struck with her appear- 

 ance. The smooth face, without external ears, — the nose slightly aqui- 

 line, — the large, dark, and beautiful eye, which stood the sternest gaze of 

 the human, gave to the expression of her countenance such dignity and 



variety, that we all agreed that it really was super-animal (Dr Edmon- 



stone's Obser. on Seals. 



NOTICE CONCERNING A RAVEN. 



As in one of the plates of the present Number, we have endeavoured 

 to represent the universally known Genus Corvus, (Crows,) we had in- 

 tended to have introduced some anecdotes illustrating their more remark- 

 able traits. Other and more important matter has interfered, and we 

 shall now restrict ourselves to the transcription of a few notes, kindly com- 

 municated by a correspondent, concerning a well known inhabitant of our 

 city, in the shape of a Raven, which stood as the original of our repre- 

 sentation. This bird goes under the appellation of Arthur, a name de- 

 rived from the great captain of the age. He belongs to Mr Johnston, 



