580 
MAMMALIA. 
an instinct for thieving and pillage as from the demands of 
hunger, for they destroy or damage all that they cannot carry off. 
They go about the destruction of gardens in the same manner as 
the Magots : that is to say, they charge some one of their number 
to collect the spoil, which is quickly passed from hand to hand. 
The surprise of the planter who finds himself face to face with 
this pillaging tribe may be left to the imagination. 
The Guenons perfectly withstand the climate of Europe, and 
even breed in our menageries. They have, therefore, been care- 
fully studied, and a number of interesting observations have been 
collected concerning them. 
It has been remarked that these Monkeys form two groups, 
which are rendered very distinct from each other by the organic 
characters and natural habits allotted to each. Those of the first 
group resemble the Macacus in their , long muzzle, their slightly 
squat figure, their relatively short tail, and their aggressive 
temper in adult life. The only means of taming them, when they 
have reached this period of their existence, consists, according 
to Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, in sawing off their enormous 
canine teeth, the wounds from which are dangerous ; the animal 
has from this moment a consciousness of its weakness, and, there- 
fore, behaves better. To the second group belong the Cerco- 
pitheci, more slender in figure, with shorter muzzles, a longer tail, 
and a less ferocious disposition. They are more sought after for 
pets than are the members of the preceding division. 
Notwithstanding these physical and moral differences, all the 
Monkeys belonging to this genus are conceived on the same 
plan, and possess the same fundamental organisation. W e 
may cite, as distinctive traits in their character, whatever the 
species may be, an extreme vivacity and quickness of movement in 
their gait as also in their sensitiveness. 
Is. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire says : — “ They have a singular 
aptitude in passing from gaiety, which is otherwise their usual 
state, to melancholy, from melancholy to joy, and from joy 
to anger, in a few seconds, and from the slightest causes. We see 
them ardently desirous of obtaining a certain object, testifying the 
liveliest pleasure if allowed to possess it, and almost immediately 
after throwing it away with indifference, or breaking it in a fit of 
rage. We also see them delighting in the society of another 
