“ Thus, when young men of the Gaboon tribe make excursions into the forests in quest of ivory, the enemy they most dread to meet is the Gorilla. If they have come unawares too near him with his family, he does not, like the lion, sulkily retreat, but comes rapidly to the attack, swinging down to the lower branches, and clutching at the nearest foe. The hideous aspect of the animal, with his green eyes flashing with rage, is heightened by the skin over the orbits and eyebrows being drawn rapidly backwards and forwards, with the hair erected, producing a horrible and fiendish scowl. ”

“ As daylight approaches, the Aye-Aye ceases its lively play and forest-roaming, and moves into the sombre shades of the densest foliage; there it avoids the light and the rays of the sun, and placing its head between the fore-feet, and encircling itself with its bushy tail, the now half-torpid creature sleeps on until the evening. ”

“ There is much joyful recognition, and after he has put his arms around the keeper’s neck, he enjoys being tickled and laid on his back in the straw. Making grunts and little laughs, he shows his fine set of teeth, and his fine hazel-coloured eyes twinkle with fun. Then he rushes off, tumbling head over heels, scampers over the straw, and with a jump clasps one of the horizontal wooden bars in the cage, and swings himself up and on to it with an ease and grace which many a gymnast might envy. ”

“ Nothing is more remarkable than the agility with which a dozen, in the early part of the evening, skimmed and glided by every article of furniture. But now they bang themselves against the ceiling and walls, drop on the table, get up again, when the Cat, by jumping, catches them a pat, and they fall on the floor, not much hurt, to judge by their liveliness, for Grimalkin, having performed the feat, sits down, her paws tucked under, and gravely watches the hurry of the alarmed Bat shuffling over the floor. ”

“ This remarkable disposition of colour has obtained for it, from the Creoles, the fanciful name of Widow Monkey, the whiteness of the face, neck, and arms being compared to the veil, handkerchief, and gloves worn in its native country by widows. It is described as particularly gentle and timid, except when a small bird—its natural food—is placed in its sight; it then becomes animated and eager, darts at it like a Rat, and devours it in an instant; at other times it will remain motionless for hours, attentively watching whatever is going on. ”

“ The poor little thing would lick its lips, draw in its cheeks, and turn up its eyes with an expression of the most supreme satisfaction when it had a mouthful particularly to its taste. On the other hand, when its food was not sufficiently sweet or palatable, it would turn the mouthful about with its tongue for a moment, as if trying to extract what flavour there was, and then push it all out between its lips. ”

“ First one comes, takes a rapid flight around the tree, darts once or twice through the dense foliage, and winging away is lost in the light of the sky. Another and another comes immediately, and performs the same evolutions; and as the glory of the west fades away to a warm ruddy brown, like the blush of a mulatto girl, many dusky forms are discerned flitting round and round. By carefully following the flight of an individual with the eye, we perceive that now and then he alights for a moment on some object at the extremity of a bunch of leaves ”

“ Resting during the day, they roll themselves up like balls, and utter plaintive, deep-seated, weary cries, which have given them the name of Ventriloquist Monkeys. At night they are all life and movement, and then they search for insects and eggs, and enjoy themselves. Their colour is a reddish-grey, and spotted on the upper parts of the body, and beneath and on the limbs the tint is of a vivid maroon. The tail is grey, tipped with white. There are fourteen species of the genus, and they range to the southern limits of the great forests. ”

“ The other night I took an opportunity of letting one of these interesting creatures—Garnett’s Galago—have his liberty in my room, and I assure you I was well repaid by his performance. Judge my utter astonishment to see him on the floor, jumping about upright like a Kangaroo, only with much greater speed and intelligence. The little one sprang from the ground on to the legs of tables, arms of chairs, and indeed on to any piece of furniture in the room; in fact, he was more like a sprite than the best pantomimist I ever saw. ”

“ The erect posture can be maintained for a short time, but it is not natural to it; on the contrary, it moves on all-fours quickly, jumps and climbs with great agility, scampering over broken ground or getting into the trees equally well. It squats on its haunches, and often sleeps with the head hanging down over the chest. Always alert and full of mischief, they assemble in troops, especially on the flanks of the Atlas range, place their scouts on trees, like so many Crows, and despoil the fruit plantations and gardens. ”

“ The Aye-Aye feeds on the pith of the bamboos, and on sugar-canes, but it also loves Beetles and their grubs as a change of food. During the dark nights it awakens the echoes of the forest with a kind of plaintive grunting, and jumps from bough to bough, and clambers up the trees with great agility and vivacity, examining the bark of old trees most carefully in order to find its favourite insect-food. ”

“ When at rest or asleep, the disposition of the limbs is most curious. At such times it suspends itself by one foot only, bringing the other close to its side, and thus it is enabled to wrap itself in the ample folds of its wings, which must envelop it like a mantle, leaving only its upturned head uncovered. Its fur is thus protected from damp and rain, and to some extent its body is sheltered from the sun. ”

“ All the rage of Thoth is, however, slumbering in that quiet old male. His cares and watchings have triumphed over any gaiety he ever had. Making no allowances for the follies of youth, he pounces without wavering on the offender. Squeals, squeaks, and howls follow the cuffs, pinches, and bites, and the little wretch makes off to the bosom of his mother, who snarls, grins, and shows her teeth, using language awful in monkeydom, and mutterings not loud but deep. ”

“ The possessor of these curious appendages, whatever Howler it may be, for all the species of the genus have them, is active enough in his woods, but still is a sad-looking animal, much given to crawling listlessly from branch to branch, and becoming melancholy in captivity. They have a surly disposition, are never to be made pets of, and are savage; while at the same time they show none of the lively play which makes the Spider Monkeys and little Sapajous so very amusing. Possibly their howling exhausts much of their nervous energy, and certainly their brains are peculiar. ”

“ Other animals, especially the Antelopes, are graceful, and it is pleasant to see them, either at rest or in motion; the natives also are well made, lithe and comely to behold; but the Soko, if large, would do well to stand for a picture of the devil. He takes away my appetite by his disgusting bestiality of appearance. His light yellow face shows off his ugly whiskers and faint apology for a beard; the forehead, villainously low, with high ears, is well in the background of the great dog-mouth; the teeth are slightly human, but the canines show the beast by their large development. ”

“ It pursues Beetles, Sphinges, and Moths with great ardour, even while they are on the wing, making prodigious bounds at them, and often leaping right upwards to seize them. Should it by chance miss its object and accidentally fall from the branch to the ground, it re-ascends with the rapidity of flight to renew the hunt. In captivity it freely eats chopped meat, eggs, and milk. Although good-tempered in confinement, it nevertheless is vivacious and petulant. At night it is always on the move, and if the occasion arises, darts off to the woods without a moment’s delay. ”

“ The first of whom I inquired said:—‘No animal is strong enough to hurt the Mias, and the only creature he ever fights with is the Crocodile. When there is no fruit in the jungle, he goes to seek food on the banks of the river, where there are plenty of young shoots that he likes, and fruits that grow close to the water. Then the Crocodile sometimes tries to seize him, but the Mias gets upon him, and beats him with his hands and feet, and tears him, and kills him.’ He added that he had once seen such a fight, and that he believes that the Mias is always the victor. ”

“ The quietude is produced by the absence of the whole of the Monkey tribes from Madagascar, for they are the great noise-makers of the forests of other tropical countries, and by the indisposition of most of the Lemuroids to move by daylight. They hide themselves in nests of leaves or amongst the densest foliage, and some seek the tops of the highest trees for safety. They seem to know that the hunter will seek them by day if possible. But as the dusk approaches, the quiet, solemn-looking creatures begin to move, jump, swing, and run along the branches with a wonderful dexterity and rapidity. ”

“ The eyes are deeply sunken: the immense overhanging long ridge giving the face the expression of a constant savage scowl. The mouth is wide, and the lips are sharply cut, exhibiting no red on the edges, as in the human face. ”

“ Sometimes ended with a tuft, in some kinds it is not, and in one or two of the great Dog-headed there is no tail, or only a miserable rudiment of it. In spite of their brutal looks—for the faces of some are swollen out, or rather the side of the nose, and coloured and ridged in a marvellously ugly manner—they are very interesting, on account of their habits, cleverness, sociability amongst themselves, and their courage. Usually very amiable and full of fun when young, they afford much amusement when kept well and treated with kindness. ”

“ The parents may be seen sitting on a branch resting their backs against the tree trunk munching fruit, whilst the young Gorillas are at play, leaping and swinging from branch to branch with hoots or harsh cries of boisterous mirth. This rural felicity, however, has its objectionable sides, for occasionally, if not invariably, the old male, if he be seen in quest of food, is usually armed with a short stick, which the negroes aver to be the weapon with which he attacks his chief enemy the elephant. ”

“ The Dyaks call this Monkey the Kaha, for this is the sound which they make when in companies in the woods by the side of the swamps and jungles. There they live a restless life at sunrise and sunset, being quieter in the heat of the day, and crying out at each other. They have fine voices, thanks to their strength, and perhaps to the air sac in their neck, which may render oral sounds more resonant. They are active creatures, and bound from tree to tree, clearing from fifteen to twenty feet with ease. ”

“ On such occasions, every jutting rock and every little stone more prominent than the rest was occupied by a patriarch of the herd, who sat with the gravity and watchfulness befitting his grizzled hair, waiting patiently till the last of his human rivals had slaked his thirst and that of his cattle. ”

“ The young one clings safely to the mother for about seven months, although she swings and climbs to perfection, and then it shifts for itself. They may be made cross, like most creatures, by being teased, and anger is then shown by a steady look, with the mouth held open, and the lips occasionally drawn back to show the eye teeth, with which they bite severely. But usually it attacks with its long hands, which are at such times held dangling and shaken in a ridiculous manner, like a person who has suddenly burnt his fingers. ”

“ There is something very un-monkey-like in the shape of this Abyssinian animal, for it has long white hair, resembling the edge of a cloak, along its sides, and a long tail with a tuft to it. The natives chase it, and are fond of having some of their long hairy skins to cover their shields with. Assembling in little troops, the Guereza keeps well up in the tallest trees, in the neighbourhood of running water. They feed on fruit, grain, and insects, and are inoffensive and wild. The fur is certainly very prettily arranged, and the black and white truly oppose each other well. ”

“ We were armed to the teeth. My men were remarkably silent, as if they were going on an expedition of more than usual risk; for the male Gorilla is literally king of the African forest. He and the crested lion of Mount Atlas are the two fiercest and strongest beasts of the continent. The lion of South Africa cannot compare with either for strength or courage. I knew that we were about to pit ourselves against an animal which even the leopard of these mountains fears, and which perhaps has driven the lion out of his territory ”

“ By day they suspend themselves from the highest branches, hanging by the claws of the hind-legs, with the head turned upwards, and pressing the chin against the breast. At sunset taking wing, they hover, with a murmuring sound occasioned by the beating of their broad membranous wings, around the fruit-trees, on which they feed till morning, when they resume their pensile attitude as before. ”

“ At night-time, when the Baboons, Macaques, Guenons, and American Monkeys are at rest and asleep, the Lemurs are awake, and rushing and jumping here and there in their limited space; but during the day-time, when the Monkey world is most giddy, with one or two exceptions the others are quiet, and if poked out into daylight look dazed and stupid, and are only too glad to get into darkness again. The exceptions to these habits are not numerous. The Night-loving Monkey of South America comes out to look about at the same time as its neighbour, the Night-loving Lemur ”