﻿LASIOPYGA 
  277 
  

  

  monkeys 
  affords 
  much 
  sport 
  to 
  white 
  men 
  who 
  get 
  into 
  the 
  forest, 
  and 
  

   is 
  the 
  principal 
  occupation 
  of 
  native 
  hunters. 
  They 
  are 
  not 
  easily 
  

   approached, 
  for 
  they 
  have 
  keen 
  sight 
  and 
  hearing 
  and 
  are 
  shy. 
  They 
  

   go 
  about 
  in 
  small 
  companies 
  of 
  a 
  dozen 
  or 
  less, 
  with 
  one 
  old 
  male 
  for 
  

   leader. 
  Often 
  an 
  old 
  male 
  is 
  found 
  alone, 
  probably 
  a 
  defeated 
  candi- 
  

   date 
  for 
  the 
  place 
  of 
  leader, 
  who 
  has 
  gone 
  off 
  by 
  himself. 
  The 
  leader 
  

   may 
  often 
  be 
  heard 
  calling 
  in 
  a 
  loud, 
  gruff, 
  barking 
  tone, 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  

   company 
  together. 
  Except 
  for 
  the 
  occasional 
  call 
  of 
  the 
  leader, 
  the 
  

   company 
  feeds 
  silently, 
  and 
  the 
  only 
  sound 
  that 
  betrays 
  the 
  presence 
  

   of 
  monkeys 
  is 
  the 
  rustling 
  of 
  boughs 
  as 
  they 
  pluck 
  fruits, 
  or 
  jump 
  from 
  

   branch 
  to 
  branch. 
  Only 
  when 
  they 
  discover 
  the 
  hunter 
  and 
  become 
  

   frightened, 
  do 
  they 
  utter 
  a 
  little 
  cackling 
  sort 
  of 
  chatter, 
  then 
  they 
  

   scurry 
  away, 
  and 
  if 
  they 
  are 
  in 
  thick 
  foliage, 
  they 
  hide 
  and 
  remain 
  

   hidden 
  securely 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  the 
  hunter 
  has 
  patience 
  to 
  wait 
  for 
  them 
  

   to 
  come 
  out. 
  But 
  if 
  they 
  are 
  in 
  an 
  open 
  tree 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  shot 
  while 
  

   running 
  if 
  a 
  man 
  is 
  quick 
  enough. 
  If 
  the 
  leader 
  has 
  passed 
  ahead, 
  

   sometimes 
  the 
  others 
  will 
  venture 
  out 
  in 
  plain 
  sight 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  follow 
  

   him. 
  

  

  "These 
  monkeys 
  very 
  rarely 
  come 
  to 
  the 
  ground 
  ; 
  I 
  myself 
  have 
  

   never 
  seen 
  one 
  on 
  or 
  even 
  near 
  the 
  ground, 
  except 
  when 
  wounded. 
  

   They 
  can 
  pass 
  from 
  the 
  branches 
  of 
  one 
  tree 
  to 
  those 
  of 
  another, 
  not 
  

   touching 
  it, 
  by 
  jumping; 
  they 
  jump 
  upon 
  and 
  grasp 
  the 
  swaying 
  out- 
  

   most 
  twigs, 
  which 
  bend 
  far 
  down 
  with 
  the 
  weight 
  and 
  then 
  spring 
  up. 
  

   The 
  monkey 
  merely 
  holds 
  on 
  as 
  the 
  branch 
  sways 
  down, 
  but 
  with 
  the 
  

   rebound 
  he 
  scrambles 
  along 
  to 
  the 
  larger 
  branches. 
  Monkeys 
  can 
  cross 
  

   any 
  but 
  the 
  largest 
  rivers 
  in 
  this 
  way, 
  on 
  the 
  nearly 
  meeting 
  tree 
  tops. 
  

  

  "These 
  monkeys 
  sleep 
  in 
  the 
  trees, 
  but 
  do 
  not 
  make 
  rude 
  beds 
  of 
  

   the 
  branches 
  as 
  does 
  the 
  Chimpanzee. 
  I 
  have 
  asked 
  many 
  natives 
  

   how 
  monkeys 
  manage 
  to 
  keep 
  from 
  falling 
  while 
  asleep, 
  and 
  the 
  

   answers 
  are 
  various. 
  But 
  there 
  seems 
  a 
  probability 
  in 
  the 
  account, 
  

   that 
  they 
  sleep 
  sitting, 
  and 
  holding 
  on 
  to 
  the 
  branches, 
  or 
  to 
  each 
  other. 
  

  

  "The 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  three 
  commonest 
  kinds 
  of 
  Cercopithecus, 
  

   (Lasiopyga), 
  are 
  very 
  similar, 
  and 
  what 
  is 
  said 
  above 
  applies 
  to 
  all 
  of 
  

   them. 
  The 
  'osok' 
  (C. 
  cephus) 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  most 
  nimble; 
  and 
  the 
  

   white 
  nosed 
  'avemba' 
  (C. 
  nictitans) 
  the 
  least 
  so; 
  the 
  latter 
  kind 
  is 
  

   rather 
  oftener 
  killed 
  than 
  the 
  others. 
  Different 
  kinds 
  are 
  often 
  

   together 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  company. 
  The 
  calls 
  of 
  the 
  three 
  kinds, 
  the 
  two 
  

   mentioned 
  and 
  the 
  'esuma' 
  *(C. 
  erxlebeni) 
  are 
  very 
  much 
  alike, 
  

   but 
  one 
  can 
  learn 
  to 
  distinguish 
  them." 
  

  

  *L. 
  grayi 
  Fraser. 
  

  

  