- 5 ° 
NATURAL HISTORY. 
mere ourang outnng. He could break or 
cleave wood, draw water, or thrcfli in a 
barn ; but his rude, narrow mind could 
never be enlarged, principally owing to 
his not being able to acquire the power 
of fpeech. This is fufficient to Ihew 
what we fliould be, were we left to our- 
felves, and what we owe to the experience 
. of former ages, for inftilling into us a pro- 
per education, .as our faculties . expand to 
maturity. 
Tlie monlcey tribe are lively, aftive, full 
of chatter, frolic, and grimace. Indeed their 
actions, as well as their form, feem delign- 
cd by nature, to burlcfque the- ignorant 
part of our fpecies. In general they are 
fierce, untamable, dirty, and diflioncft. — 
Their greaten;<p]eafure is to be perpetually 
itealing, and hiding their thefts. Woods 
and trees are their ctrief habitations, wlicre 
they feed on fruit, leaves, and infefts. Such 
is tlieir adlivity, that they.will leapfi-om tree 
1.0 tree, even when loaded witli young. Be- 
ing a fociuble animal, tliey go in companies 
or tribes, for the different fpecies never mix 
with each other. Serpents will purfuc them 
to the tops of trees, where they frequently 
devour them whole. 
Although they are not carnivorous, they 
viil, to gratify their propenfity to mifehief, 
I'ob birds-nclls, both of their eggs and young. 
In countries where rpes abound, the feather- 
ed t.iLe difplpy great f'grvcity in building 
their 
