The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-06-23
HAND.ORGAN MANS MONKEY.
The South American Ringtail the Most
TractabIe of the Tribe.
fFrom the New York sum

| "a Abll thC ~NiW lNAh
A large share of the monkeys brought
into this climate die of lung trouble, and
| the greatest care must be exercised in
guarding them against sudden changes
of temperature and protecting thsni' dur
| ing the cold weather. The South Ameri-
can ringtail monkey stands this climate
better than the African or Asiatic mon
key does; and is, as result, tho chosen
slave of the hand-organ man. No other
monkey could stand being dragged about
the country, in rain, snow and sleet,
heat and cold; and even the ringtails are
| likely to die Of the exposure. The organ
grinder ordinarily kills from to 10 mon
keys before he finds one that can stand
the life, but when that one is found moth
ing but an ak or dynamite could faze it.
Another reason why the South Ameri-
can monkey stars with hand-organs Is
that II is the only one of its race that can
be trained well. 1t learns tricks readi-
" and is willing TO show them, while the
Aslatic or African monkey has propen.
sity for stubborn and incorrigible sulks.
Then, too, these animals, if confronted
with anything new that startles or irri-
tates them, may drop their veneer of civ
ilixation and slip back into savage Wild
ness and violousness, while the ringtail
always does credit TO his training and
maintains his serenity. His virtues are
his undoing. and he leads the hardest
life of any of his tribe
The ringtails are brought directly TO
this port, in vessels running between
-. Il ,, A,e.a ,Ntfg
but the importation Is usually an irregu-
lar and desultory one carried ON by the
captains and mates of the boats. II they
have an opportunity TO pick up Few
monkeys at a low price, they bring them
on the home voyage and sell them ID the
dealers; but they seldom bring many of
the animals at one time. by the time
the boat reaches this port, the monkeys
have been handled by the sailors until
they are comparatively tame and recon-
led to captivity.
The African and Asiatic monkeys are
even tanner when they reach here; for
they have passed through more hands,
and have been longer on the way. They
are usually bought for the American
trade in Hamburg, Germany, and come
over in consignments of from 80 TO 200,
in charge of "a buyer, who looks out for
their health and comfort. Many of them
reach Hamburg, in the same way that
the captains and mates of trading ves-
sells, who import them as private specu-
lation. The Germans, however, alsoscarry
on definite and systematic trade in
monkeys, and men are sent 10 Asia and
Africa every year to collect the animals.
Some OF the dealers have arrangements
with the natives by which the monkeys
are captured and held for them, and the
buyer makes only n comparatively short
trip, to inspect the animals and take
them to Germany.
One species of monkey, the African
mandrill, has won immunity from cap
tivity by consistent and incorrigible VIC
iousness and in.ractability. Thousands
of the tribe fought, bled and died in the
cause, and like the old guard, they died
but never surrendered. There should be
monument to those mandrills who
made way for liberty in Winkelfred style,
and showed the big grasping balloons and
the frightened chimpanzees and the small
Ter Asiatic hordes that the tailless invad-
ers might capture their bodies but
couldn't subdue their proud spirit. Now,
as result of ancestral heroism, innun-
cradle mandrills are sportively swinging
by their tails in African forests, serene
" sure that they will not be disturbed.
''Ihey re a bad lot, the mandrills. 1t
don't pay to bother with them" say the
dealers; but the Banderlogs know that
the mandrills are heroes.
The balloons and chimpanzees are fero-
cious and hard to handle, but bring gooa
prices, and there is always demand for
them. The opening of new geological
gardens throughout the United States
has increased the trade in monkeys but
the American circus has always offset the
greater number of zoos In Europe and
has made this country n good monkey
market. The clown and the monkeys are
the two Indispensable circus adluncts
The rest of the outfit may be thin spread