CARE OF MONKEYS IN CAPTIVITY 55 



secured some of the best records I have ever made of the 

 laughter of monkeys. When the boy concealed himself 

 again, I secured the peculiar sound which she used when 

 trying to attract his attention. 



Nellie had spent much of her life in captivity, and had 

 been used to the society of children. She rarely ever 

 betrayed any aversion to them. She delighted to pat their 

 cheeks, pull their ears, and tangle their hair. She took 

 great pleasure in cleaning one's finger-nails. She did this 

 with the skill of a manicure. She found pleasure in pick- 

 ing the shreds, ravelings, or specks from one's clothing. 

 She was not selfish in selecting her friends. She was 

 influenced neither by age nor by beauty. 



To be out of her cage and supplied with toys was all she 

 demanded to make her happy. I have sometimes thought 

 she preferred such a life to the freedom of her Amazon 

 forests. It is to be regretted that monkeys are so destruc- 

 tive that one dare not turn them loose in a room where 

 there is anything that can be torn or broken. They enjoy 

 such mischief. Nellie often begged me so piteously to be 

 taken from her little iron prison that I could not refuse her 

 request, even at the cost of much trouble in preparing the 

 room for her. 



As we retain these little captives against their will and 

 treat them worse than slaves by keeping them in close con- 

 finement, we should at least try to amuse them. It is true 

 that they do not have to toil ; but it would be more humane 

 to make them work in the open air than to confine them 

 so closely and deprive them of every means of pleasure. 

 As an act of humanity and simple justice, I would impress 



