The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1898-08-26
FATAL CURIOSITY.
Curious Industry that is Followed on
the lsthmus of Panama

the ls3hmus of Panama.
NEARLY all the monkeys which one
sees in the United States come from
Gorgona, a little village which is stu.
ated a short distance from the Panama
railroad" said New York dealer in
monkeys to writer for the Star. 1.-The
inha bitants of this district are mostly
native negroes, for no white man could
exist in such trying climate without
drinking, plenty of whisky and almost
constantly taking quinine The whole
region is marshy and covered with ex-
tremely profuse tropical vegetation At
night there arises a thick yapor, laden
With fever, which hangs over the woods
like a cloud
This region Of wood lis the paradise
OF the monkeys. They travel in troops
around the woods and are generally led
by several old monkeys. Only few
months ago l had occasion to visit this
monkey town and was compelled to
spend night in a shanty belonging to an
Ola negro. In the early morning, as we
sat at breakfast, the creatures came
around the veranda in most curiously
human way. The mothers brought their
families, and while waiting for scraps of
food that the old darkey was accustomed
to throw to them during meals they went
on with the toilet of the nursery with
the most ludicrous gravity and method
oAe ~ o!e Tie youngsters nau 10 come
up to be dressed and it was very funny
to see how they tried to shirk what was
their equivalent for the tub, towel and
soap, which our own children do their
best to evade.
each one, as it's turn came, whimp.
cred. lay down and made itself heavy,
as children say, so that the mother had
to drag 1T toward her by leg or an arm
AS soon as the process of scratching
and cG;nth1pp tho 1;ff1n
skipped off with an agility that was
amazing, but never quite quickly enough
to escape the box OH the ear which the
parent generally administered as finish
ing touch. .
And what pathos there was, too,
about the way in which the mothers
brought their young ones up to within
very tiny ones, the babies in arms. were
held out to us just as the beggar; woman
OF our own species holds out her starving
child. The youngest were pushed to the
front. Misbehavior was promptly sup
pressed by the elders. who sat sedateIy
IN the back row, and but seldom got
anything. Our gestures We're understood
by them with astonishing intelligence. If
the knives and forks We're laid down
there was at once Il movement of sub
sidence in the assembly; expectations of
those sunk within them; they knew the
meal was ending. AS soon as we made
sign Of rising the congregation broke
up, the mothers came to the front. and
all our guests walked quickly down the
few minutes they had so completely
vanished that it was difficult to believe
thai thousands of monkeys were within
few yards
How are monkeys caught?" l.
wen, when the people receive the in
formation that the travelling monkey
troops are near the village they repair
Their plan is very simple. They procure
eOcoanut, in which a hole~is cut, lust
large enough to admit monkeys paw.
The nut is next followed out. and q
big lump of sugar is placed in it. A long
piece OF string is then fastened securely
to the nut, and it is placed in the road or
path Of the approaching monkeys. It is
Known that monkeys are very inquisitive
animals. As soon as they see the lone
some cocoanut in the grass they hurry to
examine it thoroughly. It is curious
sight to see how quickly they will climb
from the trees, chattering the while. to
take good view of the concern. No.
1T does not take them long to dis
cover that the inner part contains piece
OF sugar. One Of the. boldest and greed
lest sticks a paw into the nut to get the
sugar and grasps it as tightly as he can.
!. But his fist is SO large that he cannot
draw it out Of the hole again with the
sugar, which he holds fast to. cost what
1t may. The negroes now pull the string
until nut and monkey arrive in: the vi.
entity Of their ambuscade. In the mean
time the other monkeys wonder what is
the matter with their comrade. They
hurry to see where he is being pulled to
with his paw in the cocoanut, the crowd
around him chatteriup and cpsticuIa ting