THE CHIMPANZEE. 



105 



motion, while he plunged over, under, around, 

 through, between, before, behind, and every 

 other possible way, all so rapidly that there 

 appeared only a mass of swaying and tossing 

 iron and wood, and a kaleidoscopic vision of 

 legs and arms inextricably mixed up therewith. 

 He soon tired of this, leaped to his spring-board, 

 turned a somerset or two, and stood on his head, 

 with feet on the board beside it and hands on 

 the floor below ; then like a flash slipped around 

 under the board, embracing it with all fours 

 while he jounced himself up and down, bumping 

 his back on the floor at every jolt. 



This lasted but a minute. After a bounce or 

 two across the cage and a swarming all over the 

 bars of the front, he would suddenly come to 

 the floor with a thump, gallop around near the 

 walls, one hand slyly sweeping the floor, and 

 quick as thought fling a handful of damp saw- 

 dust into the faces of his laughing audience 

 outside. While they coughed and rubbed their 

 eyes and brushed their clothes, he chuckled 

 with delight, and turned somersets all around 

 his cage, or ran around at full speed, driving his 

 head through the dust of his floor like a plough. 



Sawdust - throwing was his favorite insult. 

 While his portrait was being painted, he re- 

 sented the personal attentions of the artist, Mr. 

 James H. Beard, by showering this material, 



