Henry Ogg Forbes

“ Face, ears, and hands black; the top of the head rich reddish-brown; whole of upper side of the body, hinder part of the shoulders, back, external surface of both pairs of limbs, feet, and tail, greyish slate-colour; throat, breast, whole under side of the body and inside of the limbs white, as are the nape of the neck, sides of the face, the fore part of the shoulder, and the front aspect of the arms, as far as the top of the fore-arm; in many species a somewhat broad wash of slate-grey crosses the side of the face from the cheeks to below the ear. ”

“ Monkeys, is their pure white upper eyelids, the white streak being more distinct on the inner half of the eyelid than on the outer. These Monkeys want the laryngeal air-sacs seen in the Macaques; but they have large cheek-pouches and a simple stomach, as in the latter. Their tail is always long, quite equalling the length of the body. The hands have a web between each of the fingers, that between the thumb and index finger being very short; in their feet, the great-toe, which is widespread, has a short web uniting it with its neighbour ”

“ Characters.—Face, nose, and lips black; whiskers rounded and bushy; no beard; fur long and harsh; form robust and powerful; whiskers grizzled, the hairs ringed with black and white; across the forehead, over the eyes, a broad white bar (or diadem) ; the back beyond the shoulders, the sides and haunches, and the posterior aspect of the thighs, grizzly-grey, the hairs ringed with numerous greenish-white and black bars; tail grey at its base, rest black; a few yellowish hairs on the callosities, but all the rest of the body deep black. ”

“ In some northern forms, the whole body is covered with a woolly fur, as a protection against cold.
In the skull the facial region predominates over the cranial, and the lower margin of the frontal bones are exserted to form a thick prominent ridge over the orbits and nose; the mastoid process on each side of the skull, behind the ear, is very prominent for the attachment of a muscle which assists in opening the mouth and in swallowing their food. Strong muscles also stretch from the back of the head to the spine for the support of the head. ”

“ They can move from tree to tree with great rapidity, and can climb even on vertical surfaces with surprising quickness. They are abrupt and energetic in their movements, restless, and noisy, incessantly chattering and making grimaces. ”

“ This genus embraces a large number of species which are characterised by having a thick-set body and short stout limbs, with the thumb set backward. The muzzle is considerably produced and rounded, but the nose does not extend as far out as the plane of the upper lip; the nostrils open in advance of its termination, and are directed obliquely outwards and downwards; their cheek-pouches are large, and their lips thick and protrusile; their eyes are approximated, and look out from below thick and prominent superciliary ridges ”

“ Swinhoe obtained this Monkey also in Hainan, and in the Province of Kiung Chow, in China.
Habits.—The Bengal Macaque, or Bandar, as it is named by the Hindoos, lives in troops of considerable size in jungle or low forest, and very often in rocky places, feeding on insects, fruits, and leaves. It is very frequently seen on the ground searching for food, according to Dr. Blanford, and near cultivation, especially around tanks or amongst trees on the banks of streams. It swims well and takes readily to water. It is a very quarrelsome species, perpetually screaming and fighting. ”

“ But, on the contrary, in the forest he is only an occasional intruder, resorting thither when food fails him on the grassy hills by the sea, where he loves to make his home. The Chinese have a fanciful idea that the tail of the Monkey is a caricature of the Tartar pendant into which they twist their long black hair, and they invariably chop it off any Monkey that comes into their possession. Hence the difficulty of procuring Monkeys in China with perfect tails."
XV. THE CRAB-EATING MACAQUE. MACACUS CYNOMOLOGUS.
Simia cynomologus, Linn., Syst. ”

“ When angry their jaws are moved up and down with great rapidity, while they give utterance to loud and harsh cries. The males fight with their strong canine teeth and their long and strong, though flat, nails, with which they are capable of inflicting deep wounds on each other. When in a good temper their voice is generally soft; but Mr. Darwin observed in the Zoological Gardens that a specimen there, when pleased, made a shrill note, and likewise drew back the corners of its mouth, apparently through the contraction of the same muscles as with human beings. ”

“ Their molar teeth are strongly cusped, and the posterior lower molar has only four cusps, and not five, as in the Macaques; but as in these animals, the two front cusps are united together by a transverse ridge, and the two hind ones are united together.
The Guenons are entirely confined to the African continent, where they range from the Gambia to the Congo, and from Abyssinia to the Zambesi; but the different species are each confined to small restricted areas. Being essentially arboreal, they live entirely in the forest regions, herding together in large troops. ”

“ Head oblong, long, rounded, and wrinkled; face and chin naked; eyes approximated, set deep below the superciliary ridges; brow small; neck short. Ears pointed at their hind upper angle, and their margins haired; nose not prominent; nostrils two slit-like orifices converging at right angles to the partition; lips slender, extensile; upper lip broad; callosities less extensive than in the Baboons; tail invisible externally; toes longer than the fingers, and both much haired. Hair on the crown short and reflexed; hairs on the cheeks forming a whisker, directed backward ”

“ They are also found in Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Celebes, and in Timor, this being the most eastern habitat of any of the Anthropoidea except that of Cynopithecus niger. Dr. Blanford, in his "Mammals of British India," says that the species of the present genus resemble each other in their habits; they are found in flocks, often of considerable size, and generally composed of both sexes and of all ages. They are active animals, though less agile in their movements, whether on trees or on the ground, than the Langurs (vide infrà) . ”

“ This species is one of the commonest Monkeys introduced into Europe, as it appears to be able to stand, better than most of the other members of the genus, the northern climate. It has even bred in the Zoological Gardens in London. It is very active and intelligent, and when young it is gentle and of a good disposition, but as it grows older it becomes treacherous, malicious, and savage. ”

“ The tail is long, short, tufted, or reduced to a mere tubercle, and it may be quite invisible externally. Some have the hair of the head long, and radiating in all directions; others have the face encircled by a kind of mane. ”

“ Skull rounded; muzzle wide in front, contracted at the base, concave beneath the orbits; orbital ridges large, and the frontal bone widely depressed behind them; pre-molars and molars small. The structure of this animal is essentially that of the ordinary Macaques, although it differs from them so much in external physiognomy. (Anderson) .
Body, limbs, and tail deep black; a ruff of long hairs round the head, darkish grey; chest greyish or white; tail tipped with greyish or white; face, hands, and feet black; callosities flesh-coloured. ”

“ Characters.—Face nude, prolonged forwards; muzzle prominent; superciliary ridges overhanging the eyes; eyebrows meeting in the mid-line; a bar over the eyes across the forehead bald, except for a few very short hairs; fur in general, long, soft, silky, and thick; short hairs forming a sort of whisker on the cheeks, continuous with the hair on the head and the moderately long beard; abdomen, chest, and inner surface of limbs thinly haired; ears large and, except on the margins, covered with long silky hairs ”

“ They live chiefly on fruits and leaves, feeding themselves with their hands, and smelling everything they are uncertain about, before putting it into the mouth. They also eat grass very readily. They are found in large crowds in the forests of Barbary, which reach to the sea, and are very destructive to the cultivated fields of the Moors, on which they make constant raids, and during which, like the Baboons, they post sentinels to give warning of danger to their foraging friends. This Monkey sleeps on its side or in a sitting posture with its head dropped between its knees. ”

“ General colour dark brown or blackish; cheeks, underside of body, inner sides of arms and legs paler, washed with yellowish, the hairs being very closely ringed (in some more distinctly than in others) , for their outer two-thirds, with alternating annulations of golden-yellow and brown, their terminal points dark brown. Face, ears, sub-caudal callosities, bright reddish flesh-colour, deeper round the eyes. Length of the body, 15-24 inches; tail 11⁄2-2 inches.
In the young the fur is lighter. ”

“ They feed voraciously, and carry off all that their cheek-pouches can hold, even after they are satisfied, or if they are called off by the warning cry of the sentinel, who is said to be always placed on guard on some point of 'vantage when the troop is busy with its depredations. The Guenons are not only restless, but very inquisitive; they are, therefore, when young, very easily tamed, and as a consequence they are frequently to be seen as performers in circuses and exhibitions. When aged they are unreliable in temper, and often very ill-dispositioned. ”

“ About the mountains of the north and east it is still numerous, being frequently seen playing and chattering among the steep rocks, miles from any tree or wood. It seems to be quite a rock-loving animal, seeking the shelter of caves during the greater part of the day, and assembling in parties in the twilight, and feeding on berries, the tender shoots of plants, Grasshoppers, Crustacea, and Mollusca. ”

“ Habits.—The late Consul Swinhoe was the discoverer of this interesting animal. He has given an account of its habits in the "Proceedings of the Zoological Society," from which we quote the following: "The Formosan Rock-Macaque affects rocks and declivities that overhang the sea, and in the solitary caverns makes its abode. ”