Morning journal and courier., 1880-07-26
Monkeys in the Zoo.
Their Wise Looks and Foolish Ways
 nI4I

Ihef " 1Se AOO&S Anu FOOlkSh
 Qualities ofthe Simian Mind.
 A writer in the London Telegraph, who has been contemplating the monkeys in the '.Zoo," records the following impression of their nature and habits: ''Though a singular community of fur obtains among them, yet by actual habits some seem solitary enough. That little baboon there, except when passers-by stop to bestow perfunctory at tention to it's hair, appears to be always alone and how hard it thinks. In Madras it's relatives are called the wise ones, and if contemplation induces wisdom, they should be very wise indeed. But near him, ,puzzing over a cork, sits monk, with @ look of dis tress upon it's face that would beft Jesuit father in Paris to-day. Its hair seems blanch- ed with extreme old age, and on it's crown rests small black skull-cap, to keep, one would suppose, the cold from his bald head. But the creature is a hoax altogether, joke of old Dame Nature, in some idle moment, for that wizened old graybeard is quite young, and that aspect of weary thought was on it's eyes, and the skull-cap was on it's head when it was born Yet, in the Brazils, if monkeys have banks, he might have been director by this time, for his countenance in vites confidence, while his reverend appear ance almost justiies it. But turn for mo- ment to this family of Mona monkeys, two young ones and senior and for time noth- ing can be more becoming than their conduct.
 
 countenancing such frivolity, sits severely on perch, turning every now and then to look out wistfully over the spectators heads at the bright sun shining out of doors. But on sudden change comes over the scene. A young one groveling under the straw forgets that it has left it's tail protruding, and the temptation is greater than the old one can re- sist. In Q twinkling of an eye the challenge to a romp is accepted, and 10 while the sen for makes a fool of himself among the straw with one Of the children, the other child is on his perch looking just as grave as he did, and gazing at intervals in the same wistful way out into the open air. The old monkey, lately so solemn, so respectable, so austere, has suddenly resolved itself into an irrespon- sible fool, committing itself to any! possible absurdity, and subjected to the irreverent liberties of his juniors. Those who do not respect themselves cannot, of course, look for respect from others but from the elder monkeys attitude when we first approached it, such complete abandonment to buffoon- cry was certainly not to be expected. The Diana monkey next door has no temptations to romp, for it has no comrades, but here again the same deplorable disregard of ap- pearances occurs. Her cage Is lined with straw, and in the center of the straw she sits as composed as mummy and with @ face like an old mussulman khitmutgar. Surely, the crack of doom itself could not disturb such
 
 is hardly past before the monkey, with Q ve- locity that suggests an explosion from below, springs to the roof carrying with 1t much of it's bed it's four hands hold- and in the next instant is down again and spinning round and round on the bare floor in pursuit of it's own tail, while the straw comes strag- gling down upon it from the perch above The creature has suddenly, to all ap- pearance, become hopeless idiot It is just the same in the next cage, and the next, and the next, intervals of profound contem- plation and admirable gravity alternating with fits of irrelevant frivolity. The silky marmozet stands up on it's hind legs and holds out it's tiny paws in supplication, and cries continuously-a wee, shrill cry that is sur passing in it's tone of utter desolation-while the long soft locks hang down on each side of the forlorn little face, and the poor thing looks as if entreating for sudden death as a relief from its present misery. Does it think we are Brazilian savages, armed with blow pipes and poison-tipped arrows, that the creature bewails itself so bitterly, or does it mistake us for anacondas? Not 0 bit of 1t. The marmozet only wants cherry and if you give it one, all that piteous afectation of grief will be abandoned at once, and with merry little chirrup, it will fall to at it's meal. It's neighbor, the squirrel el-monkey-more like a lizard than 8 monkey in it's deliberate move ments and sudden activities-makes the same pretense of woe, but indulges itself even fur ther in the luxury of @ fictitious sorrow. For when the dinner is brought in-slices of or ange and apple and cherries, with the frag- ments of carrots and other yegetables-the squirrelmonkey creeps down sadly, and, ap- preaching the tempting heap round which the chattering marmozets are already sitting selects in the ludicrous humility of it's af1io- tion, miserable shred of cabbage-leaf, with which 1t mournfully retires to a distant cor ner. But this exquisite affectation of asceti- cism is only of brief duration, as the mar mozet seem to know, for they are tasting everything in turn and gobbling up little of each as fast as they can, and, sure enough, here comes the squirrel-monkey back again, with the cabbage-leaf still carefully held in it's hand. It replaces it pensively on the heap, aud, while the marmozets shrink back deferentially from the viands, deliberately spreads out the whole of the meal for leis urely inspection, and then, sorting out at least one-half for itself, sits upon it's selec- tions till they are finished.
 It is these extraordinary alternations of conduct and demeanor that make monkeys metaphysics There is no arguing from probabilities with them or concluding from premises It is always the unforeseen that occurs. It is difficult enough to catch amon- keys eye, but to catch one of it's ideas is i'm possible. Neither in look nor in mind will it positively confront man, but just it lets it's eye pass over his, yet never rest upon it full, so it's mind" glances to one side or the oth- CT of the human intelligence, but never coin cides with it. It may be that they were once all human, that the link still exists, and that in time all will be human again; but mean while it is quite certain that race after race is becoming extinct and that as yet no indi- vidual monkey is quite
 Feeble digestion, sick headache, dizziness