The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-08-14
MONKEY GANGS.
How They Travel and How They Are
Broken Up.
From the Strand Magazine

From the Strand Magazine
Monkeys are an unmitigated nuisance,
especially in the country. I have often
come across in the jungles adjoining the
villages of Northern Bengal whole troops
of them, whose depredations in the fields
and orchards We're the despair of the un-
fortunate villagers. These troops always
consisted of one huge male and about a
hundred females. The fact is, when lit
tie monkey is born in the pack, il is euf-
fered to live if a female, but instantly
killed by the father if it happens to be a
male. The mother, however, sometimes
manages to hide the little one until it is
able to get about, and then sends MIN
away before the big male catches sight of
him. In this way 1t often happens that in
dlvidual males are to be found living by
themselves in single blesseduess. Now, get
ting tired of solitude after a time, and per-
haps believing In union as a source of
strength, these bachelors often Join to-
gether and form a pack of their own
as sort of club.
Then the fun begins. They want wives
very naturally. But how are they TO get
them? All the female monkeys of the
country belong to the harem of some big
brute or other Clearly the only solution
is to attack such a harem, kill the gotha
(the aforesaid big brute, and then divide
the spoils. So an ultimalum is sent-aud
rejected. War is declared. The battle is a
fierce one, and often lasts several days.
The party attacking always tries to re-
treat, and often tTaverses several jungles,
fields and even villages. But the pursuit
is hOt and vigorous, and a last stand has
to be made-sometmes in a village green,
or even an orchard of some country man
sion. In the actual fight the females gem
F,,l \
master, and help him fercely against his
numerous assailants. But the result is a
foregone conclusion, and the several
widows, after very short period of
mourning-usually manifested by a show
of ill-temper-are consoled by the victori-
Gus males.
Now these battles cause sad havoc TO the
fields and orchards of the country, and
often prove a positive danger to the peo-
pie; for, though monkeys seldom attack
men, woe to the luckless one who ven
lures 10 come near them in their deadly
struggle. Moreover, when pressed by hunger
these packs are not to be trifed with You
may not mind even the damage done to
your orchard by hundreds of monkeys COB
bling up everything they can lay their
hands on; but il is QUITE different matter
when you have 10 shut your doors and win
dows and stay in for days al a time be-
cause of the army outside.
Consequently the object of the natives IS
to break up these packs by capturing their
leaders Killing is against the dictates OF
conscience but capture is not, especially
as the monkey is liberated in a shOret time
as WI appear presently. So when pack
is about the natives employ the following
method: Close to an orchard a bit of leve
space is selected and a hoe dug in Il
about two feet deep and six inches or eigh
inches in diameter. A moose is made al
one end of a long, Stout cord and placed
over the mouth of the hole The cord /!
then passed through a pulley or ring al
tached to a tree close TO the house, ant
| the other end held some distance away by
a concealed person. The moose and abou
ten feet or fifteen feets of the cord arr
! covered over With sand. Then a nice
tempting banana is placed in the hole,anC
a number Of rotten ones-covered, however
| with fresh skins-are strewn an over tn,
! ground near the hole.
! When the pack comes, the females ar
too shy 20 venture out into The open space
/ near the house. But the big gotha is
brave fellow. He secs the bananas on tn
| ground, leaps down, takes up one-throw