The Chimpanzee. 175 
earth. His skin is clothed with long coarse black or 
dark-brown hair, which becomes scanty on the lower 
surface of the body and on the limbs ; the face is naked 
and of a flesh colour, and at each side there hangs down 
a great bush of long hair like a whisker. The Chim- 
panzee lives in the trees, upon the branches of which he 
is very active, and he has intelligence enough to build 
himself a sort of hut of branches, usually about thirty or 
forty feet from the ground. His food consists chiefly of 
fruits, and he is said to fly from the presence of man. 
Young Chimpanzees have frequently been brought to 
this and other European countries, and several of them 
have been exhibited in our Zoological Gardens. They 
are generally gentle and rather melancholy in their 
deportment, and often show much affection for those 
who have the charge of them. Of a specimen exhibited 
in France in his time, Buffon gives the following interest- 
ing account : " I have seen this animal," he says, " present 
its hand to lead out its visitors, or walk about with them 
gravely as if it belonged to the company. I have seen it 
seat itself at table, unfold its napkin and wipe its lips, 
use its spoon and fork to carry its food to its mouth, pour 
its drink into a glass, and touch glasses when invited ; 
fetch a cup and saucer to the table, put in sugar, pour 
out its tea, and leave it to cool before drinking it ; and all 
this without any other instigation than the signs and 
words of its master, and often of its own accord." Buffon 
adds that it had a taste which, no doubt, some of our 
young readers partake : "It was excessively fond of 
sugar-plums." 
