3S2 NATURAL HISTORY READER. 



behind you, puts her cold hand in yours, and walks by 

 your side like a child, she steadies herself by taking a half 

 turn of her tail round your wrist. Her relative Jack, of 

 whom hereafter, walks about, carrying his chain to ease his 

 neck. 



3. The spider-monkey's easiest attitude in walking, and 

 in running also, is strangely upright, like a human being; 

 but as for her antics, nothing could represent them to you 

 .save a series of photographs, and those instantaneous ones ; 

 for they change every moment, not by starts, but with a de- 

 liberate ease which would be grace in anything less horribly 

 ugly, into postures such as Callot or Breughel never fan- 

 cied for the ugliest imps who over tormented St. Anthony. 

 All absurd efforts of agility which you ever saw at a seancs 

 of the Hylobates Lar Club, at Cambridge, are quiet and 

 clumsy compared to the rope-dancing which goes on in the 

 boughs of the pine-tree. 



4. But, with all this. Spider is the gentlest, most obe- 

 dient, and most domestic of beasts. Her creed is, that yel- 

 low bananas are the sum mum bo num. ; and that she must 

 not come into the dining-room, or even into the veranda, 

 whither, nevertheless, she slips, in fear and trembling, 

 every morning, to steal the little green parrot's breakfast 

 out of his cage, or the baby's milk, or fruit off the side- 

 board, in which case she makes her appearance suddenly 

 and silently, sitting on the threshold like a distorted 

 fiend, and begins scratching herself, looking at everything 

 except the fruit, and pretending total absence of mind till 

 the proper moment comes for unwinding her lengthy ugli- 

 ness and making a snatch at the table. Poor, weak-headed 

 thing, full of foolish cunning ; always doing wrong, and 

 knowing that it is wrong, but quite unable to resist temp- 

 tation ; and then profuse in futile explanations, gesticula- 

 tions, mouthings of an " Oh ! oh ! oh ! " so pitiably hu- 

 man that you can only punish her by laughing at her. 



