51 
MISCELLANEA. 
The Moral Character of the Monkey. 
A GENTLEMAN whose premises were infested by a large breed of 
sparrows, said they were birds of no principle. Of all monkeys it 
may be said, with much more propriety, that they are beasts of no 
principle, for they have every evil quality, and not one good one. 
They are saucy and insolent ; always making an attempt to bully 
and terrify people, and biting those first who are most afraid of 
them. An impertinent curiosity runs through all their actions ; 
they never can let things alone, but must know what is going 
forward. If a pot or kettle is set on the fire, and the cook turns 
her back, the monkey whips off the cover to see what she has put 
into it, even though he cannot get at it without setting his feet on 
the hot bars of the grate. Mimicking is another of his qualities; 
whatever he sees men do, he must affect to do the like. He seems 
to have no rule of his own, and so is ruled by the actions of men 
or beasts; as weak people follow the fashion of the world, whether 
it be good or bad. No monkey has any sense of gratitude, but 
takes his victuals with a snatch, and then grins in the face of the 
person who gives it him, lest he should take it away again; for he 
supposes that alljnen will snatch away what they can lay hold of, 
as all monkeys do. Through an invincible selfishness, no monkey 
considers any individual but himself, as the poor cat found to her 
cost, when the monkey burned her paws with raking his chestnuts 
out of the fire. They can never eat in company without quarrelling 
and plundering one another. Every monkey delights in mischief, 
and cannot help doing it when it is in his power. If any thing he 
takes hold of can be broken or spoiled, he is sure to find the way of 
doing it ; and he chatters with pleasure when he hears the noise of 
a china vessel smashed to pieces on the pavement. If he takes up 
a bottle of ink, he empties it on the floor. He unfolds all your 
papers and scatters them about the room, and what he cannot undo 
he tears to pieces ; and it is wonderful to see how much of his 
work he will do in a few minutes, when he happens to get loose. — 
Sharpe s London Magazine. 
The Domestic Fowl. 
The game fowl is one of the most gracefully formed and most 
beautifully coloured of our domestic breeds of poultry ; and in its 
form, aspect, and that extraordinary courage which characterizes 
its natural disposition, exhibits all that either the naturalist or the 
sportsman would at once recognise as the beau ideal of high blood; 
