St. Landry democrat., 1883-08-11
THE DIANA MONKEY.

THE DIANA MONKEY.
This native of Western Africa inhab-
it's the woods of the Guinea Coast, and
of the banks of the Congo, and it is.
found ir the island of Fernando 70. 1t
was known to European naturalists be-
fore the year 100, and it has always
been priced for its pretty fur and gay
temper. The goddess Diana has been
honored by being associated with this
monkey, on account of a crescent
shaped white band of long hair stretch
ing across the forehead (she being god
dess of the crescent-shaped NOON. 1t
is about eighteen inches long when full
grown, the tail is longer than the body,
and the fur is very pretty. The cres-
cent of white hairs has dark edges, and
the top of the head is broad and dull
gray, spotted with green; the ears are
dark and the face also; the beard and
whiskers are white, and the first of these
projects like a goats. AS another
monkey from the same region has
white band across the forehead, the
Diana has been confounded with it.
Even F. Culver jumbled the Diana and
the Diadem monkey together. Very
little is known about them in their wild
state, and in captivity they show very
adverse dispositions. Sometimes they
are gay and full of fun, and at others
they are morose and snappish. We
once saw one in its cage in the Zoolog-
ical Gardens pull its mate, small
Sykes monkey, from the top tothe bot
tom, by well-directed pull of its tail,
and the proceeding reminded one OF a
very energetic mistress, whose servants
were inattentive, Juggling at bell-rope.
The pulle1 was chattering and grimac-
inc at his visitors all the time that the
pulled was hanging on to everything
that came in its way during its forced
descent; and when it came to the bot
tom, it scrambled about and rushed up
to its little house again, as if it were q
frequent and unwilling exercise. The
Diana also stole its companions food,
such as piece of apple, by putting her
arms around its neck. and squeezing the
morsel against its nose. so that it was
obliged to drop it.
Mrs. Bowditch, in describing her voy-
age from Western Africa, gives an in
teresting account of Diana monkey
which was on board. s'We made ac-
quaintance,' she says, every suddenly,
and to me disagreeably, for had not
till then conquered the foolish aversion
with which these animals always in
spired me. 1t was a dead calm, the
wheel was dashed, and all save myself
below, nothing around us but sea and
sky, and had sheltered myself with a
book in a corner protected from the
equatorial sun. Suddenly, and without
noise, something leaped upon my shout
ders, and the tail which encircled my
throat convinced me that Mr.. Jack was
my assailant. My first impulse was to
beat him off, in which case should
probably have received some injury,
but fortunately l sat perfectly still, and
twisting himself around, he brought his
face to mine, and stared at me, en-
/ deavoring to speak kindly to him, upon
which he grinned and chartered, seat
! ed himself on my knees, and carefully
examined my hands. He then tried to
pull off my rings, and was proceeding
to bite for this purpose, when / gave
him some biscuit which happened to be
beside me, and making bed for him
| Will ~ uduuhcICuiCiS uC SctllSu uluSCII
| comfortably to sleep, and from that
| moment we were sworn allies.
The amusement furnished to me and
others by Jack made him tolerated
| when his mischievous propensities would
otherwise have condemned him to per-
petual confinement. He was often
banished to an empty hen-coop, but as
this made no impression upon him,
always tried to prevent it, which he
knew so well, that when he had done
wrong he either hid himself or sought
] refuge near me. Much more effect was
produced by taking him in sight of the
panther, who always seemed most will
ing to devour him. On these occasions
held him by the tail, in front of the
cage, but long before reached it,
knowing where he was going, he pre-
tended to be dead; his eyes were closed
quite fast, and every limb was as stiff
as if there were no life in him. When
taken away he would open one eye a
little to see whereabouts he might be,
but if he caught glimpse of the cage,
! it was instantly closed and he became
as stiff as before. He clambered into
the hammocks, stole the mems knives,
1 tools, handkerchiefs, and even the
nightcaps off their heads, all of which
went into the sea. When biscuits were
toasting between the bars of the ca
| boose, and the dried herbs boiling in the
| tin mugs, he would take the former out
and carry it way, and take out the lat.
| ter and trail them along the planks;