Chap. II. 
MENTAL POWEKS. 
43 
coiled-up snake into the monkey-honse at the Zoo- 
logical Gardens, and the excitement thus caused was 
one of the most curious spectacles w r hich I ever beheld. 
Three species of Cercopithecus were the most alarmed ; 
they dashed about their cages and uttered sharp signal- 
cries of danger, which were understood by the other 
monkeys. A few young monkeys and one old Anubis 
baboon alone took no notice of the snake. I then 
placed the stuffed specimen on the ground in one of 
the larger compartments. After a time all the monkeys 
collected round it in a large circle, and staring in- 
tently, presented a most ludicrous appearance. They 
became extremely nervous ; so that when a wooden ball, 
with which they were familiar as a plaything, was acci- 
dently moved in the straw, under which it was partly 
hidden, they all instantly started away. These monkeys 
behaved very differently when a dead fish, a mouse, and 
some other new objects were placed in their cages ; for 
though at first frightened, they soon approached, handled 
and examined them. I then placed a live snake in a 
paper bag, with the mouth loosely closed, in one of the 
larger compartments. One of the monkeys immediately 
approached, cautiously opened the bag a little, peeped 
in, and instantly dashed away. Then I witnessed what 
Brehm has described, for monkey after monkey, with 
head raised high and turned on one side, could not 
resist taking momentary peeps into the upright bag* 
at the dreadful object lying quiet at the bottom. It 
would almost appear as if monkeys had some notion of 
zoological affinities, for those kept by Brehm exhibited 
a strange, though mistaken, instinctive dread of inno- 
cent lizards and frogs. An oraug, also, has been known 
to be much alarmed at the first sight of a turtle . 9 
9 W. C. L. Martin, ‘ Nat. Hist, of Mammalia/ 1841, p. 405. 
