32 
THE SIMPAI. 
attitude, preferring to run on all fours like a dog, that being their legitimate mode of pro- 
gression. Even when they do stand on their hind feet, the long tail at once deprives them of 
that grotesque semblance of the human form, which is so painfully exhibited in the tail-less 
apes. Besides these external distinctions, there are many remarkable peculiarities in the 
anatomy of the internal organs, which also serve to settle the position of the animal in the 
order of nature. Among these internal organs, the stomach displays the most remarkable 
construction, being very large, and divided into compartments that bear some resemblance to 
those in the stomach of ruminating animals. 
These monkeys are distributed through several parts of the world, the Simpai making its 
residence in Sumatra. 
This is a beautiful little animal, and is 
pleasing both for elegance of shape, and the 
contrasting tints with which its fur is deco- 
rated. The prevailing color of the body is a 
light chestnut, with a perceptible golden tinge, 
showing itself when the light falls obliquely on 
the fur. The inside of the limbs and the abdo- 
men are not so bright as the rest of the body, 
but take a most sober tint of gray. At the top 
of the head the hair is straight, and is set on 
nearly perpendicularly, so as to form a narrow 
crest. The color of the crest, together with 
that of a narrow band running over the eyes 
and temples, is black. From this conspicuous 
peculiarity, the Simpai ( Presbytes melaiophos ) 
is also called the Black-crested Monkey. The 
name Presbytes signifies an old man, and is 
given to these monkeys on account of the 
wizened, old-fashioned aspect of their counte- 
nances. The term “melaiophos” is literally 
■ “black-crested,” and therefore a very appro- 
priate name for this species. 
The length of this animal, measured from 
the nose to the root of the tail, is abont twenty 
inches, and that of the tail itself is not very far 
from three feet. Its fur is very soft and glossy. 
Several allied species are rather celebrated 
among furriers for the beauty of their natural 
budeng . — Semnopithecus maurus. garments, and suffer much fiom the huntei s. 
A well-known example, the Negro Monkey, 
sometimes called the Moor, or the Budeng, furnishes the long black monkey-fur that is put to 
so many uses. Jet black as is the long silky fur of an adult Budeng, it is of a very different 
color when the creature is young. The fur of the very young Negro Monkey is of a yellowish 
red color, and the black tint appears first on the hands, whence it spreads up the arms, across 
the shoulders, and by degrees creeps over the whole body. 
It is a native of Java, and is a gregarious animal, being found in troops of fifty or more in 
number, and extremely noisy on the approach of a human being. In temper it is said to be 
morose and sulky, so that, in spite of its beautiful coat, it is seldom domesticated. In such a 
case a bad temper must be a positive blessing to a monkey. 
Not only for the skins are these monkeys valuable. Their teeth are in some favor for the 
composition of ornaments, being pierced and curiously strung together. 
There is another substance which is furnished by some individuals among this group of 
monkeys, but is not always found in them. This is the bezoar, a substance which was long in 
high esteem for the cure of disease, and even now is used for that purpose by the physicians 
