30 



THE APES AND MONKEYS. 



been taken to Europe [and none have ever reached 

 America]. 



Other Further members of this group, of which 

 Thumbless there are eleven in all, are the Ursine 

 Monkeys. Colobus ( Colobus ursinus) and the Black 

 Colobus ( Colobus Sataruis). The first differs from the 

 Guereza in the absence of the white mane, in longer 

 hair and a nearly tuftless tail. He is a native of 

 Upper Guinea and Fernando Po. The Black Colo- 

 bus is uniformly black and is confined mainly to 

 Fernando Po. 



THE GUENONS. 



Africa harbors not only the largest, the cleverest, 

 and the ugliest of the Apes of the Old World, but 

 also the most beautiful and the most sympathetic. 

 To the latter undoubtedly belong the Guenons. 

 {Cercopithecus) . We see 

 this or that member of the 

 family in every zoological 

 garden, in every wander- 

 ing collection of Monk- 

 eys and frequently as 

 merry companions of 

 people who are fond of 

 animal pets. 



Home Habits The native 

 and Charaoteris- country of 

 tics of Guenons. this group 

 is the torrid zone of Af- 

 rica, but they are never 

 found on the islands of 

 this continent. Wherever 

 there are virgin forests, 

 the Guenons are sure" to 

 be found in great num- 

 bers. Several species are 

 found as well in the east 

 as the west and the cen- 

 ter of the continent, but 

 the majority come from 

 the west; although a 

 great many have their 

 home in Abyssinia and 

 the Upper Nile country. 



They are small, grace- 

 ful creatures, have short, 

 fine hands with long 

 thumbs, a long tail devoid 

 of tuft, capacious cheek- 

 pouches and large callos- 

 ities. Their coloring is 

 usually bright. There are 

 about twenty different 

 kinds in this group. In 

 as far north as the i6th 



SIANA MONKEYS. These handsome creatures are found on the 



Guinea coast, the banks of the Congo and the Island of Fernando Po. They 

 are named for Diana, goddess of the moon, because of the white crescent on 

 the forehead. Little is known of the Diana Monkey in its wild state, on account 

 of its great agility and its fear of Man, but it is frequently seen and studied in 

 captivity, where the disposition varies greatly, some of the species being gay 

 and amiable, while others are cross andi sullen. ( Cerco^ithecus diana.) 



the Nile country they go 

 degree of latitude ; in the 

 west and east they are found nearly as far as the sea- 

 shore. They always prefer damp woods, traversed 

 by rivers, to the dry, mountainous regions. They 

 also show a decided predilection for the neighbor- 

 hood of cultivated fields. One may unfailingly count 

 on finding Guenons where there are Parrots, and 

 may also look for the latter when these little Monk- 

 £)'s are around. 



l\/lerry and The Guenons are among the most 

 Sociable Traits sociable, lively, merry and good- 

 of Guenons. humored of the Monkeys. They 

 nearly always live in rather large troops ; single fam- 

 ilies being seldom encountered. It is really amus- 

 ing to fall in with a troop of these animals in a for- 

 est. The life, the noise, the fights, the quarrels, the 



lumping and running, thievmg and pilfermg the 

 faces and contortions are a sight to see. They have 

 a government of their own, and the strongest of 

 their own kind is the 9nly master they acknowledge ; 

 no right is lawful but the one pertammg to the old 

 Monkey patriarch, by virtue of his sharp teeth and 

 strong hands. There is no danger from which they 

 deem escape impossible. They make the best of 

 every situation, never fear hunger or privation, and 

 spend their life in perennial contentment and joy. 

 They are possessed of an unlimited carelessness and 

 a grotesque seriousness. No goal seems out of their 

 reach, no tree-top too high for them and no treasure 

 is secure in their presence, for they recognize no 

 right of property. It is, therefore, not astonishing 

 that the natives of East Soudan should refer to them 

 with the greatest scorn and anger ; neither is it sur- 



prising that outsiders 

 think them the most 

 amusing little creatures 

 in the world. 



It is impossible to miss 

 a troop of Guenons in the 

 forest. Even if one 

 should not hear the vary- 

 ing call of the chief, he 

 soon detects the noise 

 produced by the running 

 and jumping society in 

 the trees, and if one 

 should escape that, he is 

 sure to see them run, 

 jump, bask in the sun and 

 seek each other's fleas, 

 for they never so much 

 as think of hiding them- 

 selves. They are not met 

 with on the ground unless 

 something to eat is to be 

 found there ; they live in 

 the trees and make their 

 way from one branch to 

 the other. Should their 

 road lead through the 

 thickest and sharpest of 

 thorns, it is a matter of 

 perfect indifference to 

 them. 



Guenons It is very 

 on a Stealing interesting 

 Expedition, to the ob- 

 server to watch a troop 

 bent on a stealing expe- 

 dition. The boldness with 

 "which they proceed always charmed me as much 

 as it disgusted the natives. An old, experienced 

 male Monkey assumes the leadership and shows the 

 way to the corn-field ; the females with children 

 carry them upon their backs, the little ones hooking 

 their diminutive tails around the tails of their par- 

 ents. In the beginning a great deal of caution is ob- 

 served, and they use the tree-tops as far as possible. 

 The old gentleman is always first, and the crowd fol' 

 lows step by step, selecting not only the same trees, 

 but even the same branches as he. From time to 

 time the wise leader climbs to the extreme top of a 

 tree and surveys the neighborhood. If the sight 

 that meets his eye is favorable, he utters a few assur- 

 ing, gurgling sounds , if not, he gives a note of alarm. 

 The Monkeys alight from the tree nearest the chosen 

 field and scamper to their paradise. The activity 



