The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-07-10
HUNTING AFTER MONKEYS.
ACCID ;NTS AND INCIDENTS IN
THE SEARCH.
DIR. wards Researches in Many Coun-
tries TO Secure n fuIs Collection for
the MetrOpOIituu Museum.


the Metropolitan Museum.
At the American Museum of Natural
History in New York there has arrived
almost the last instalment of the two
hundred species Of quadrumana, or mon
keys, apes, balloons, etc, which MIR.
Morris X. Jessup, wealthy resident of
the metropolis, at his own expense, au-
thorized DR.. II. A. Ward, of Rochester,
to collect from every quarter of the globe.
DR.. Ward told Times reporter of his
efforts on both hemisphere in collecting
the quadrumana:
There are two hundred and twenty
four species of quadrumana in all, and |
was instructed by Mr.. Jessup not to stop
until every one was secured. Ihave now
delivered something over 'one hundred
species, and have little hope of obtain
| ing the rest, on account of the difficulty
Of reaching them. The family of le-
murs, for instance, comprise fifty-one
species, thirty-three of which alone come
from Madagascar Now that island is at
war with France, and French fleet has
it in state of siege. The consequence
Is that all foreigners arc taken for French
men, and on my recent trip there | could
do nothing whatever. | even took the
trouble to go to France and have
both the United States minister
and the foreign department Of that
country certify that l was an
American and wished to visit NIadagas-
car for purely scientific purposes. The
scheme did not work, and l was assured
on arrival that if l attempted exploration
on the island my life couldn't be insured
for cent. However, l set a trader there
at work, and he may do something for
us. BY various means | have managed
to secure thirty species of the lemurs.
The remaining twenty-one are divided
among Madagascar, the interior of Africa,
Siam, and Ceylon."
at is said that some incident in your
career caused you to give up shooting
animals.
"Well, that is perhaps true. When
arrived at that state of mind | was in
Nicaragua. Here is a species of monkeys
called the howlers, which have trumpet
apparatus in the throat by which they
make a terrible noise that can be heard
for miles. One day l observed one of
these howlers up in a tree which seemed
to have n strange swelling on the neck.
Having great curiosity to learn what
| lulS SCCIuIuS luSuS udlultt lIlCdul, oIlOb
the animal. Down it came with a heavy
bump. AS it fell a little one was released
and dropped to the ground. 1t had been
clinging to the mothers neck. and had
appeared in the distance like freak of
nature. When the mother touched the
ground she just reached over to
the little one, casped it to her
breast and died. This act was
so human and touching that it af-
fectcd me more than l can tell and for
life. In British Guiana these howlers
are used for food. The natives broil
their arms, which are about as long as
and very much resemble human arms.
The taste is very good. To see lines OF
these arms hanging up in native vii
lage causes strange sensations to the
traveller in British Guiana.
"Any one who will examine old spec
linens of the gorilla in museums will find
on inspection that their hands and feet
are made of plaster. For a long time it
was almost impossible to find gorillas in
the wild state in possession of these
limbs. 1t seems that the natives of
Gaboon, Africa, recognized them as
their natural enemies. So, instead of
killing them Off they caught the young
and cut off their hands and feet. We
had to teach the natives the difference
in the value between whole and frag
mentary animal. When they learned
the lesson we began to get specimens
that were whole and the natives more
value in return.
"New- orkers seem to have much fun
with Mr.. Crowley, this chimpanzee in
Central park, and well they may. These
animals come from West Africa and are
hard to secure. Much less is known
about them than the gorilas. They arc
smaller and more intelligent. Mr. Grow.
ley's hands are pink on the inside, but
they will turn dark when he gets older
| In Sumatra secured the slender gibbon.
They are peculiar anthropod ape and
are great fellows to swing. have often
seen them swing on limb like gymnasts
on trapcLe until they had secured
, sufficient momentum, when they would
Jump to another limb and 90 back and
l forth from limb to limb in that way.
"Pernaps the only attempts which have
: been made to civilizc the monkey is in
Malabar, India. A fine species indi-
geneous in this quarter is the Ncllighcr-
ry langur. The natives here have fam
ming machines called the punka In
other days the punka, which consists OF
a movable frame, covered with canvass
and suspended from the ceiling, wa,
kept in motion by slave pulling a cord.
An English officer conceived the idea OF
teaching the langur to work. lie took
one Of the species and tied its hands tc
the cord, while by means of another
cord the machine was kept in motion
The movement of the cord is up and
down, and, of course, the monkey
hands being tied to it, went up and
down, and the animal saw the machine
move. Its master patted its head ant
fed it with candy, and the langur soor
learned to think it fun to work the ma
chine. When was in Maabar securing
specimens of this species, | saw thous
ands of them working the punka, the In
dams having Immediately put the ami
mails in captivity when they saw thci
| utility