The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1892-10-14
BuckLAND's PET MONKEY.
Jack Loved Stolen Edibles Better Than
Honestly Acquired Food.


Honestly Acquired Food.
Frank Buckland, in his Curosities
of Natural History writes thus of a
pet monkey:
lately had little monkey, who was
such great thief, that if he had been
human being he would have been trans
ported over and over again for numer.
GUS acts of petty larceny. 1, however,
turned his thieying propensities to good
account Master Jack (after / had had
him some time) showed evident symp-
toms of phthisic or consumption, and I
prescribed cod liver oil. 1t was placed
openly before him on the dining-room
table, but he refused it with symptoms
of disgust and sundry tail-shakings.
then poured little into saucer, and
placed it in such position that Master
Jack should find it for himself, while I
pretended to be reading and not to no.
tice what was going on. The trap took;
Jack, thinking he was stealing the oil,
sucked up the prescribed dose, making
face not implying nausea, but rather
high glee at his own cleverness.
This deceit" however, was after
time discovered by the artful creature
and one day found my friend with his
long tail and arms tightly coiled round
the table lamp, and stealing the COLA
oil as it dropped down from the wick.
He managed to get one of his long spi-
der-leg-hke fingers through the brass
work of the lamp, and held it till drop
of oil fell on it; then he put it in his
mouth and sucked off the oil like a child
sucking sugar candy. How he could
manage to gaze at the intense light,
which one would have thought would
have hurt his eyes when so near the
lighted wick, I know not I fancy,
however, that the light bothered him
somewhat, for he used to frown dread
fully while he was waiting for the oil to
drop on his finger. I placed COLA oil
before him !; NO, he would not touch
it; but, nevertheless, he had no objec-
tion to it when he stole it for himself
from the lamp. He was certainly bet
ter and fatter for his medicine, which
was SO sweet because stolen, and l
really think it saved his life.
Jack, too had q marvellous propen-
sity for picking things to pieces, and
smashing articles that came in his way;
strange to say, he never tore a useless
bit of paper or broke common or val
ueless bit of goods. One day he
sneaked out of his cage and had good
mornings work to himself, tearing off
the leather and pulling out the lining
OF an old armchair. He was, after an
hour or two, discovered in the act, and
taken into custody to be duly chastised
for his mischief. He cried murder"
when he saw preparations made to pun
ish him, but at the same time he held
out his hand firmly closed upon some
thing in it. His pickers and stealers
were unclasped, and in the palm of his
hand was discovered half sovereign,
which he had most certainly found and
picked out of the chair, and which
probably had been buried in the lining
of the chair IAN old second hand one)
for years. His profered ransom got
him off his punishment, but bis investi-
cations into the structure of watches,
books, ink and cruet stands, writing
desks, MS. notes, ETC., have not since
produced equally valuable discoveries.
Nothing pleased Jack so much as to
make his escape, Jack Sheppard fash
ion, from the wire cage in which he was
kept by the kitchen fire. He would
pick and pick with his long, skeleton
like fingers till he found the staple
loose. If anybody happened to look
round at him while he was at work, he
would drop instantly on the hay and
pretend to sleep. When he managed to
get the door unfastened he would not
bolt out in moment, but push it open
as gently and gradually as a burglar.
He would then sneak out, and the cum
ming rascal would carry his chain on
his tail to prevent it rafting on the
stones and the servant detecting his
pranks. His object was to get to my
room, and on looking up 1 frequently
found my friend nestled inside the
fender. He came into the room so
quietly that l did not know that he had
escaped from his cage till he called my
by a friendly chatter, as much
as to say, i've got loose so cleverly
that you really must not scold me for