Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1872-03-28
MONKEYS.

The true monkeys are smaller and more nu-
merous than the apes and balloons. Those
with the long tails and of common appearance
may be inhabitants either of the Old World
or ofthe New, while those with the prehensile
tails are found in the never-ending forests of
the New World. The natural food Of mon.
keys is vegetable-fruit Of all kinds, corn,
and even grass but when domesticated they
will eat most anything that may be given
them. Monkeys exhibit very striking af-
fection for their young indeed, both the male
and female seem never to tire of fondling their
young ones -instructing them with much as:
siduity, and often correcting them severely, if
stubborn and disinclined to profit by their ex.
ample. They may frequently be seen hand
ing them from one to the other, and when
the female has done showing her regard, the
male takes his turn in the work of affection.
One of the smallest of the monkeys is the
little Marmozet, called, also, Quistiti Fac
ch,lsvulgaris,) which inhabits Brazil, the body
measuring not more than seven inches, though
the tail is nearly foot in length. The weight
of this pretty little animal is about six ounces,
and, like others of its kind, it lives not only
on vegetables, but also on insects, the eggs of
birds, and even, it is said, small birds. The
face is almost naked, of a swarthy Aesh.color,
with white spot above the nose. The long,
bushy tail is annulated with ash-colored and
black rings alternately. The nails are sharp,
and the fingers resembles the feet of a squir-
rel. This monkey is an engaging, curious lit
tie creature, and is frequently kept as a pet
Its twinkling black eyes are set off by tuft
of long, white hair behind each. Marmozet
monkeys are generally very attentive to their
young. A pair of them which were kept in
Paris many years ago, had three young ones,
the first born in Europe. The mother was
rather careless, and seemed soon to get tired
of carrying them about and when this was
the case she would hold out the little creatures
to their father, or would playfully put them
on his back. The male monkeys generally
took them in his hands, and nursed and played
with them until they became very restless for
food when he gave them back to their mother.
The Lemurs and the Mongoos may be re-
garded as the connecting link between the
monkeys and the true quadrupeds. They
have been called lemurs, or ghosts, from their
nocturnal habits. They pass a considerable
portion of the day in sleep, rolled up like a
ball with their long tails passed between theft
hind-legs andtwisted round their necks. They
live in troops more or less numerous, like the
apes and monkeys, on trees and they climb
with great quickness, and leap with so much
force as frequently to rise ten feet at single
bound. They feed on fruits, roots, and other
things, and they convey the food to their
mouths with their hands, like the ape They
are all inhabitants of Madagascar, but allied
species are also found in Bengal and other
parts of Hindostan, in Ceylon, and in Java.
1t may be we'll to put the reader on his
guard as to some of the marvellous accounts Of
the doings of the monkey family which have
been given by travellers, such as the following:
That troops Of the pigmy ape assemble togeth.
er, and defend themselves from the attacks of
wild carnivorous beasts in the desert by throw
ing cloud of sand behind them, thus blind
ing their pursuers, and facilitating their es-
cape. If this extraordinary feat on the part
of the pigmy ape were really true, it would
argue faculty in the monkey family far sur
passing that of instinct. But who ever saw
monkeys in sandy desert? That apes armed
with clubs assault men in the forest; that apes
throw fruit at stated distances from orchards
into each others hands; that apes build habi-
tations for themselves that monkeys preach
in the wilderness that the Pata, or red mon
key (perhaps the most wary Of all the family,
and ever on the alert to escape when man ap-
proaches,) breaks off branches and throws
them at travellers as they pass under the trees,
and frequently with so sure an aim as to an
noy them not a little; that other monkeys act
the part of skillful surgeons, by stopping
hemorrhage and by subduing inflammation:
Ifany one should desire to capture wild
young monkey, month or so old to educate
as pet, the only chance Of success is to shoot
thepoor mother; for when stationary, as when
| in motion. the baby monkey adheres to the