196 APES AND MONKEYS 



results are from design or accident I cannot say, but he 

 appears to have a well-defined idea as to the use of the 

 instrument. Whether he can distinguish between writing 

 and drawing I am unable to say. 



The only abstract thing that his keeper has tried to teach 

 him is to select from the letters of the alphabet. He has 

 learned to distinguish the first three. These are made 

 upon the faces of cubical blocks of wood ; each block con- 

 tains one letter on each of its faces. He selects with very 

 few mistakes the letter asked for, and errors appear to 

 result from indifference rather than from ignorance. 



Consul is very fond of play, and he makes friends with 

 some strangers on sight, but to others he takes an aver- 

 sion without any apparent cause ; and, while he is not 

 disposed to be vicious when not annoyed, he resents with 

 anger the approaches of certain persons. He is the only 

 ape I have seen that can use a knife and fork with very 

 much skill ; but he cuts up his food with almost as much 

 ease as a boy of the same age would do, and he uses his 

 fork in eating. He has been taught to do this, until he 

 rarely uses his fingers in the act. He is fond of coffee 

 and beer, but does not care for spirits. 



There is nothing that so much delights Consul as to get 

 into the large cage of monkeys and baboons kept in the 

 garden. Most of them are afraid of him. But one large 

 Guinea baboon is not so, and on every occasion he shows 

 his dislike for the ape. The latter takes many chances in 

 teasing him, but always manages to evade his attack. He 

 displays much skill and a great degree of caution in playing 

 these pranks upon the baboon when at close range. Upon 



