THE HALF-MONKEY. 



49 



to stop the cravings of hunger ; the moment this 

 was clone he opened his hand, and whatever food 

 was in it dropped to the floor. He ate bread, 

 sweet potato, and banana, and drank milk and 

 water ; but his delight was candy, and that he 

 never dropped. If there was a bit in sight he 

 was simply wild. When a piece was offered, 

 he snatched it, chewed it down, and instantly 

 begged for more. The favorite trick of a mis- 

 chievous youth was to give him a licorice-drop, 

 which became soft in the mouth, held his jaws 

 together, and in every way was troublesome ; but, 

 in spite of his struggles with it, he was never 

 discouraged, and always coaxed for another. 



No beast that I ever saw was more fond of 

 play than the little Malagasy, not even a lively 

 kitten. From the moment his door was opened 

 till he was shut in for the night, he generally 

 gave his mind to a constant succession of pranks. 

 He scraped the beads off our dress-trimmings 

 with his comb-like teeth, and he slapped or 

 pulled books or work out of our hands. He es- 

 pecially liked to frolic in one's lap, lying on his 

 back, kicking with all fours, pretending to bite, 

 and even turning somersets, or giving the most 

 peculiar little leaps. To do this he flung out 

 his arms, dropped his head on one side in a be- 

 witching way, turned half around in the air, and 

 came down in the spot he started from, the 



