Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1891-05-30


Instances OF Their Close RasomhIaAeo TO
Human BeInRs.
We once unintentionally excited the
anger of q monkey at the Zoo by Civ
ing 1t something to which it had not
been accustomed. says an English writ
err. In searching for scraps to put into
the provision bag for party of young
people who were accompanying us to
see the animals, we came across some
lnacaroni, and the thought struck Us
that probably the monkeys might like
| it; and some of them did; others did
not attempt to eat it, but held 1t up to
their eyes like spyglass to look
through the little hole, and then broke
it, and examined each piece infinitely.
But little girl of our party offered q
piece to a monkey, who took it, tasted
| 1t and did not like it; whereupon his
| fury knew no bounds; he seemed to
think the child had Intentionally In
suited him, or had perhaps intended to
| poison him. He rushed at her, chatter
ing and trying to seize her with those
nimble fingers, shook the bars of the
cage with impotent rage and followed
her all around the room vociferating
angrily.
The Hottentots say that balloons can
talk, only they will not, for fear they
should be made to work; and there GER
tainly is but little work to be got out Of
those cunning hands. Nevertheless, we
| read of some balloons who have been
taught to do useful work.
1 There was an obituary notice a year
or more ago in all the Cape papers Of
one of these trained balloons, well
known in the colony, who used to act
as signalman on the railway, in place
1 of his master, who was lame. The
story was doubted by the English pa
| pers, who copied it; but we have met
with many people who had seen the
animal at his work.
Mrs. Carey Hobson, too, in one of her
/ pleasant little "South African Stories,"
i tells of a baboon who had come under
her own notice, who had been taught
1 to ride after Dutch Boer as groom,
and to dismount and hold the horse by
sitting on the bride when his master
went into a house; and we have seen q
troupe of monkeys of various kinds
taught to do q great many curious
tricks, but IN these, again, they have
been rivaled by dogs.
The monkeys we see in the streets
are not usually interesting specimens;
they jump about, crack nuts and amuse
children, and thus draw coppers from
the pockets of mammas and nurses; but
sometimes they show some originality.
We were greatly interested, one day
lately, by watching one of them.
1t was quite small monkey, evil
IDENTIFY young, and very active. Some
one had given him a paper-bag; this he
investigated infinitely, picked out every
crumb carefully, then tried to put it on
his head as a cap; but suddenly an idea
came to him. At little distance there
i was a fox terrier barking at him; so
JACKIE thought he would try to brighten
him. Selling the paper bag in his teeth
so as to hide his face, he crept toward
the dog on all-fours, and then jumped
at him. The success of the maneuver
was complete; the dog turned, and ran
away down an area with his tail be-
tween his legs. Then the monkey
skipped with delight and proceeded to
try the same experiment upon the cat,
who lay baslking upon the window
ledge. -
! Climbing the area rails, he jumped
most skilfully on the hind legs Tor
hands, over the spikes till he came op.
posite the cat, and sat down before her,
still holding the paper bag between his
| teeth. But the cat was not so easily
} frightened. She only made a hasty
l movement forward and crouched, ready
to spring. So the monkey sat still ap
? parently Indifferent, put the paper bag
on his head, and tried to tempt the cal
5 by swinging his tail in front of her
! evidently prepared for bit of fun, but
? the master, not wishing to encourage
4 a squabble, pulled the string and made
him return to his perch upon the organ
There was certainly originality IL
3 that monkey, as well as the usual low
!. of mischief, notwithstanding the air O
+ repression which must inevitably sur
round these little ministers to the poo,
organ-man's pocket. Apropos of which
2 we were told of one monkey who sough
9 for a penny which had fallen unob
2 served, held it up to show the donor
whom he Disseminated among man,
spectators, that he had found it, an,
:, then climbed up and put It in his mas
:, ter's pocket.
We have often wondered whethe
: these street monkeys are kindly treated
= but an incident we witnessed woul
: seem to show that they are often petite
= and cared for almost like children. Al
:. italian woman had monkey and a,
organ, in the front Of which was tn
monkeys bed. The little creature bein
tired, began to pull aside the covering
which the woman perceiving, imme
IS diately left off her organ-grindine
/ opened the bed carefully, and the
is placed the monkey in It as tenderly q
Ia though it had been q baby, fondling
" and kissing it as she laid its head upo
st the pillow; and the way in which It r,
IS ceived the cAresses and then shut II
le eyes and went off to sleep contentedl
n was absurdly human.-N. Y. Journa
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" How to Eat Fruit.
" The reason WHY fruit disturbs som