The New York herald., 1921-06-05
THE GIANT ANT EATER
FROM CENTRAL AMERICA.
THE ONLY ONE iN
CAPTIVITY.

philosophical, and long ago learned to accept
the fate that made him a captive and makes
the best of II. He is tame he loves prunes
and he will do anything that Dick Spicer the
head keeper Of the monkey house, tells him
10 do. 1t is Windy who poses for the inter-
esting photographs of the monkey tea
parties and who helps Susie when she enter
tans her friends of the monkey house at tea.
Henpecked Charley Is usually to be found
hiding in the big monkey cage outside tho
house proper. The keepers seem to be tho
only friends that Charley has in the world.
He is downtrodden and abused by the other
monkeys in his cage. and when he gets his
food he doesn't even learn how IL tastes;
unless he swallows it whole and quickly one
of the other monkeys takes II away from
him
The other day Spicer gave him n prune.
and as fast Charley was he had not
swallowed it before one of the others had
him by the throat and choking him In
an effort 10 get the prune. Charley held
onto Il until he was blue in the face. but
he finally let go OF it The other monkey
ate it, slapped Chareys face. and Charley
ran up tree and cried. He always docs
that. He never fights back When he rs
abused he gets out on limb and cries ana
bowls until one Of the keepers goes into the
cage, gives him something to eat and guards
him while ne eats II. on these occa siuns
Charley grimaces and chatters and threatens
the other monkeys and makes n great show
OF bravery, and as soon as the keeper has
gone the others pile on him and give him a
sound thrashing.
The most recent acquisition to the Monkey
House is Dick big mandru baboon from
Africa and probably the most vicious one
I'm the place, with the possible exception OF
the pig tailed babOon two cages away from
him Dick has canine teenth three inches
long. he weighs several hundred pounds and
he is gorgeously colored with red and blue
ridges over his nose and face He cost 81 900
and the Zoo authorities considered that they
were lucky to get him for that amount. as
fne specimens of this mandril usually cost
much more. Neither he nor the pig tailed
baboon is ever trhed with by tho keepers
The pig tailed one has constant ferid on
with monkey in the cage with Charley
and all day long they snarl and snap and
chatter at each other. The keepers say that
either Dick or the pig tailed baboon would
make mnccmeat OF the most fcrocious bull
dog that ever lived
But the principal feature I'm the monkey
house continues 10 be the big white faced
gibbon which walks like Charley Chaplin
There are only two Of these animals in tn,
United States. and this one has been at the
Bronx Zoo for several years. But the crowds
that swarm into the monkey house ap-
pdlFullN never get urea or WatChlnE NtiS
walk like the famous film comedian All d.,
long there are groups about his cage coax. ne
him with peanuts and prunes to strut across
the floor.
The last time Chaplin was I'm New York
he made a special trip TO the Zoo to soc
the big gbbon and after considerable coax
ing with prunes and nuts tho animal ler
go Of the limb he was swinging from an
walked across the floor The comedian was
on inf rpd md bp fbr
hack and forth and turning corners until
the keeper ran out OF prunes
That" said Chaplin lis the best imta-
tion Of me ! ever saw"
But the white faced gibbons have been
walking that way for several centuries. and
IL might be that the walk which he and
Chaplin have in common is the missing link.