152 APES AND MONKEYS 



Moses was dead. His cold body lay in its usual place ; 

 but it was entirely covered over with the piece of canvas 

 kept in the cage for bed-clothing. I do not know whether 

 or not Aaron had covered him up, but he seemed to realize 

 the situation. I took him by the hand and lifted him out 

 of the cage, but he was reluctant. I had the body removed 

 and placed on a bench about thirty feet away, in order to dis- 

 sect it and prepare the skin and the skeleton for preservation. 



When I proceeded to do this, I had Aaron confined to 

 the cage, lest he should annoy and hinder me at the work ; 

 but he cried and fretted until he was released. It is not 

 meant that he shed tears over the loss of his companion, 

 for the lachrymal glands and ducts are not developed in 

 these apes ; but they manifest concern and regret, which 

 are motives of the passion of sorrow. But being left alone 

 was the cause of Aaron's sorrow. When released he came 

 and took his seat near the dead body, where he sat the 

 whole day long and watched the operation. 



After this Aaron was never quiet for a moment if he 

 could see or hear me, until I secured another of his kind 

 as a companion for him ; then his interest in me abated 

 in a measure, but his affection for me remained intact. 

 His conduct towards Moses always impressed me with the 

 belief that he appreciated the fact that the sick one was in 

 distress or pain, and while he may not have foreseen the 

 result, when he saw death he certainly knew what it was. 

 Whether it is instinct or reason that causes man to shrink 

 from death, the same influence works to the same end in 

 the ape ; and the demeanor of this ape towards his later 

 companion, Elisheba, only confirmed this opinion. 



