2 



THE APES AND MONKEYS. 



Man, while the Silky Monkey is not larger than a 

 Squirrel. The shape of the body differs very much, 

 also, as the names, "Man-shaped Apes" and "Dog- 

 shaped Monkeys," indicate better than would any 

 long descriptions. There are bulky and slender 

 Apes. They may be clumsy or graceful ; most of 

 them have long tails, some have short ones, and 

 some none at all. Their growth of hair is varied : 

 in some it is scant, in others plentiful, bein^ mainly 

 of a neutral tint, but sometimes the coloring is 

 bright and pleasing. There are even some white 

 ones. In Siam, the country of the white Elephant, 

 where albinos from the animal world seem to be the 

 fashion, beautiful white monkeys are prized as pets. 

 Anatomical There is greater similarity in the ana- 

 Structure tomical structure of the different kinds 

 of Apes. Qf Apes than would be supposed from 

 their outward appearance. The skeleton has seven 

 cervical vertebras, from twelve to sixteen dorsal, four 

 to nine lumbar, two to five sacral, and three lo thirty- 

 three caudal (going to form the tail); the clavicle is 

 strong ; the bones of the forearm are separate and 

 mobile, the wrist-bones are long, while the finger 

 bones seem stunted in their growth. The feet are 

 supplied with a thumb. The shape of the skull 

 differs very much, according to the greater or lesser 

 prominence of the jaws, and the size of the brain. 

 The arches of the eyebrows are strong and promi- 

 nent. The teeth are composed of all the different 

 kinds : two incisors, one canine, sometimes as large 

 as that of a beast of prey, two or three pre-molars 

 and three grinders or molars form each side of a 

 jaw. Among the muscles, those of the hand attract 

 our attention, as, in comparison with those of a hu- 

 man hand, they seem to be so much simpler. The 

 larynx is not capable of producing sounds that might 

 constitute articulate speech, in our sense of the word ; 

 but the well-developed glands of the trachea sfeem to 

 favor the production of shrill, howling sounds. 



Special mention must be accorded the cheek 

 pouches, that distinguish certain Apes. These open 

 from the cheeks by a small aperture near the corner 

 of the mouth and serve to store away food. They are 

 most highly developed in the Guenons, Macaques 

 and Baboons ; they are entirely lacking in the Man- 

 shaped Apes and in all the New World Monkeys. 

 The Ape Sometimes the Apes are called Quad- 

 Compared nimaTia, a distinction being made be- 

 w'lth Man. tween them and Man. But science de- 

 clares that the difference in the structure of the 

 hands and feet of Men and Apes is, though remark- 

 able, by no means fundamental. In a careful com- 

 parison of the two it will be seen that their structure 

 is essentially similar. The thumb put in apposition 

 to the other fingers or toes is found in Man only in 

 the hand, in the Arctopitheci only in the feet, while 

 the rest of the Apes have it in both hands and feet. 

 We are far from denying the difference of hands and 

 feet in Man and the Apes, but we insist on this differ- 

 ence not being sufficient to be counted as a distinctive 

 cause for differentiating the two. 



In spite of the great resemblance between Man 

 and Ape, there are characteristic differences between 

 them ; but no greater weight should be attached to 

 this fact than is usually given to the comparison of 

 other mammals. The lean body covered with hair, 

 the thin legs devoid of call ; the long tail possessed 

 by many, the callosities on the hinder quarters dis- 

 tinctive of certain species, and above all the head 

 with its small, receding skull, and the thin lips, are 

 distinctive features of the Apes. 



Oken describes the Apes in comparison with Man 

 in the following terms: "The Apes resemble Man 

 in all bad moral traits ; they are malicious, treach- 

 erous, thievish and indecent ; they learn a number 

 of tricks, but are disobedient and often spoil their 

 performances, behaving like awkward clowns. 

 There is not a single virtue that could be ascribed 

 to the Apes, and still less any use to which they 

 might be put. They have been trained to stand 

 guard, to wait on the table, to fetch and carry, but 

 they do these things only in the intervals of foolish 

 spells. They represent only the bad side of Man, in 

 regard to his physical as well as his moral nature." 



There is no denying that this description is, in the 

 main, correct. Still we wish to give justice fair play, 

 even in dealing with Apes, and therefore let us not 

 forget to mention their really good traits. We can- 

 not judge of their intellectual qualities in the aggre- 

 gate, for the reason that the different species show 

 so many contradictory features. 

 Nature, Habits We must concede that the Apes are 

 and malicious, cunning, choleric, vindictive, 



Intelligence, sensual, quarrelsome, irritable and peev- 

 ish ; on the other hand, we must take into account 

 their cleverness, their good humor, their gentleness, 

 their trust in, and kindness to Man, their amusing 

 social qualities, their cheering earnestness, their 

 courage and their readiness to stand by each other 

 in case of need, even against superior enemies, and 

 their inclination to play and tease. In one respect 

 they even rise to greatness, and that is in their love 

 for their offspring, their pity for the weak and de- 

 fenseless, not only of their own family and kind, but 

 even of other animals. 



The intellectual development of which Apes are 

 capable does not place them so high above all other 

 species of lower mammals, neither does it place them 

 so much below the level of Man, as is usually as- 

 serted. The possession of a hand places the Ape in 

 so much more advantageous a position from a me- 

 chanical point of view than all other animals, that 

 his accomplishments seem greater than they are. 

 He is quick to learn, and the impulse to imitate 

 everything, that is so strong in most of his kind, 

 makes it easy for him to be taught certain tricks. 

 After short practice he is able to do a great many 

 things that can with difficulty be taught a Dog. But 

 it must be mentioned that he always performs his 

 tasks with a certain resistance, and never of his own 

 accord, or with enjoyment. It is not hard to ac- 

 custom an Ape to do certain things, but he will 

 never be as conscientious and painstaking about it 

 as a well-trained Dog. But it has taken several 

 thousand years of breeding, cultivation and teach- 

 ing to bring the Dog up to his present capabilities ; 

 while the Apes have had no opportunity of learning 

 from Man. The capabilities of Apes will be seen 

 in the course of this chapter, and will tend to prove 

 that they are the cleverest among animals. Their 

 memory is excellent, and they profit by experience. 

 They have a surprising talent for dissimulation, 

 know how to escape dangers and how to take good 

 care of their own interests. There can also be no 

 denying that they are affectionate. They are capable 

 of becoming attached to people, are grateful and 

 show a certain amount of good-will to those who 

 have done them a kindness. 



It is remarkable, that in spite of their good sense, 

 all Apes may sometimes be deceived in the silliest 

 manner, their passions often getting the upper hand 

 of their prudence. Once their passions are aroused 



