1 62 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM 



is anything from light yellowish-grey to black, the males being, as 

 a rule, the darker of the two sexes. 



It is an active little beast and of docile habits, allowing itself to 

 be tamed and kept as a pet in a very short time after capture. When 

 the climate of Southern Europe was far more tropical than it is 

 to-day, some species of Gibbons undoubtedly lived in the dense 

 forests of a by-gone age, for fossil remains have been found which 

 prove the existence of these animals in tropical times, and it is 

 interesting to notice that there is no evidence of the existence of any 

 Gibbons in Europe after the middle or miocene division of the 

 Tertiary period (see page 341), although it should be pointed out that 

 many different kinds of Monkeys existed until much later than the 

 period mentioned. 



VERVET, BRAZZA'S AND MOUSTACHE MONKEYS.— The Vervet 

 Monkey (Fig. 122) and Brazza's Monkey (Fig. 123) are both African 

 species, and need only be mentioned in passing, although the some- 

 what striking appearance of Brazza's Monkey is worthy of note- 

 The native name for this Monkey in the Cameroons is "Avut" or 

 "Fum." The Vervet, or Malbrouck, is at once distinguished by the 

 very distinctive red root and black tip of the tail and the black of the 

 chin. 



This brings us to the Moustache Monkey (Fig. 124), which also 

 belongs to the Guenons group. The members of this group are all 

 African species, and are distinguished by the possession of cheek 

 pouches, simple stomachs, and arms and legs of almost the same 

 length. 



These Guenons travel about in troops; they are strictly arboreal, 

 and are famous for the continuous chattering which they keep up. 

 That these are Monkeys of ancient origin is proved by the fact that 

 the sculptures of the Egyptians bear the likeness of either Guenons 

 or Mangabeys upon them, the last-named being the next group of 

 ■ Monkeys with which we shall make acquaintance. 



The Moustache Monkey, an apt representative of this important 

 group, is characterized by the yellow whiskers and a triangular blue 

 mark upon the nose. In general colour it is olive-green, speckled 

 with yellow; it is grey upon the throat and under-parts, black on 

 the face and temples, with blackish feet and hands. 



PATAS MONKEY.— The Patas Monkey (Fig. 125) also belongs to 

 the Guenons, the specimen shown in the photograph having been 

 obtained from its only home in Senegambia. It is also known as 



