THE SPIDER MONKEY. 133 



skin in the house. Monkeys have a deadly fear 

 of this big cat, who is fond of them, — to eat, 

 — and Gila had often been frightened by hav- 

 ing this skin shaken at her, accompanied with 

 growling. 



A servant was told to bring it, but no sooner 

 did Gila hear the order, whether she understood 

 it or not, than she hastened quickly down the 

 tree and sprang into my arms, where she always 

 felt safe. 



In the last chapter I spoke of the monkey 

 " looking over " the baby she was fond of. This 

 was a curious operation, to which Chiquita made 

 no objection, though her mamma looked on with 

 terror, for Gila was rough at best, and if angry 

 she would bite in an instant. Biting, however, 

 she did not think of. She gravely lifted the lids 

 of the child's eyes, and peered under them with 

 interest ; satisfied with them, she investigated 

 her ears, looking at them inside and out, before 

 and behind, above and below, as earnestly as if 

 she were a doctor searching for a disease. Then 

 she gently lifted the little curling rings of hair, 

 examining them curiously. Next she looked 

 over her clothes, peering at hems, and trying 

 to solve the mystery of ruffles, all the time as 

 grave as a judge, with the air of wondering why 

 the baby was white and not black ; why her hair 

 curled instead of lying straight like hers ; why 



