THE MONKEY FAMILY. 



53 



Lord of created beings, as can possibly be ima- 

 gined ; and that, in fact, it can have no claim to 

 any rank above that of the raven, the dog, and 

 the elephant. 



With this then in view, that apes are mimics of 

 no ordinary character, but nothing more, I will 

 proceed with my original attempt to investigate the 

 real habits of the monkey family at large. 



It has been my good fortune, here in England, 

 to have made acquaintance with three different 

 species of apes from their own warm regions in 

 the tropics ; two of which are now in high preser- 

 vation at Walton Hall. 



The first is a female of the smaller kind with 

 a black fur, and called the chimpanzee. It was 

 exhibited at Scarbro', in the well-known collection 

 of Mr. George Wombwell, nephew to the late 

 Mr. Wombwell, who was so celebrated for his 

 management of wild beasts from all parts of the 

 world. I soon perceived that its lungs were 

 injured, and that its life was coming fast to a close. 



When Mr. G. Wombwell had exhibited his 

 splendid menagerie for a sufficient length of time 

 at Scarbro', he conducted it to Wakefield, whither 

 I had written the day before, to my friends who are 

 fond of natural history, and urged them to lose 

 no time in paying a visit to the little chimpanzee, 

 as its health was visibly on the decline. 



