THU MB LESS MONKEYS. 
87 
the group last mentioned, it is not easy to see why they should have lost their 
thumbs,—unless, indeed, the small thumbs of their Indian cousins are practically 
useless. 
In addition to being strictly African, all the thumbless monkeys, with one 
exception, appear to be confined to the west coast, where they must be very 
abundantly represented. Most of them are remarkable for the length and beauty 
of the silky hairs with which their bodies are clothed; their fur being largely 
imported into Europe for use as trimming for other furs and various kinds of 
apparel. 
Our imperfect acquaintance with this group in their native haunts must be 
largely attributed to the neglect with which travellers and sportsmen treat 
monkeys and baboons. In every book of travel or sport we are sure to find 
chapter after chapter devoted to the hoofed mammals and the carnivores, but very 
seldom is there a word about monkeys. We have no desire to place any check on 
the continuous flow of information relating to any of the animals, but we venture 
to put in a plea that at least some attention may be devoted to these when 
opportunity offers. 
Before noticing some of the species of this group it may be mentioned that the 
hair of all the thumbless monkeys is coloured uniformly, and by this character 
even a small piece of their fur may be distinguished from that of all other African 
monkeys, in which each individual hair is ringed with different hues. 
The Guereza (Colobus guereza). 
We commence our account of the thumbless monkeys with this strikingly 
handsome animal, which differs so much in external appearance from the other 
members of the group that it was referred by Dr. Gray to a distinct genus. 
It is commonly reported to inhabit Abyssinia, but Mr. Blanford, who accom¬ 
panied the Abyssinian Expedition under Lord Napier of Magdala, states that he 
never heard of the animal in the part of the country traversed by the army, 
and that the skins which are often offered for sale to travellers at Aden are really 
brought from the mountains in the interior of Somaliland. As, however, Somali- 
o 
land and Abyssinia are continuous, it is highly probable that it may be found on 
the eastern borders of the former; and that it is found in Central Abyssinia in 
the neighbourhood of Samen, we have the evidence of several of the earlier 
travellers to prove. In Southern Abyssinia it appears to be of comparatively 
common occurrence in the district of Gojam, and thence it extends further to the 
southward into the Galla country. From the Galla country and Somaliland the 
guereza appears to range to the south-west into the Niam-Niam district, lying to 
the north-west of Lake Albert Nyanza, and to the southward as far as Kilima- 
Njaro on the east coast. 
The head, body, and limbs of the guereza are covered with jet black hair of 
moderate length; but on either side of the back there arises a line of long hair, 
hanging down below the flanks, and forming a kind of mantle of a pure white 
colour. The dark face is also surrounded with a fringe of the same white hair, 
which forms long whiskers lying flat on the cheeks, and directed backwards. The 
