particularly fond of the seeds and fruits of that sacred tree called the Peopul-tree, and which, on these hills, attains a very large size. They likewise take the leaves and tender twigs of this and other trees, as well as some species of grass, which they chew, rejecting what is indigestible, and swallowing the juice.

When placed on a floor or in an open field, they balance themselves nicely, by raising their hands over their heads, and slightly bending the arm at the wrist and elbow, and then run tolerably fast, rocking from side to side. If urged to greater speed, they let fall their hands to the ground, and assist themselves forward, rather jumping than running. If they succeed in making their way to a grove of trees, they then swing with such astonishing rapidity from branch to branch, and from trec to tree, that they are soon lost in the jungle or forest.

Dr. Burrough, during an excursion into the interior of Bengal, had one presented to him by Captain Davidson. He became so tame and manageable in less than a month, that he would take hold of the doctor's hand, and walk with him, helping himself along with the other hand applied to the ground. He would come at his call, seat himself on a chair by his side at the breakfast table, and help himself to an egg or the wing of a chicken, without endangering any of the table furniture. He would partake of coffee, chocolate, milk, and tea; and although his usual mode of taking liquids was by dipping his knuckles into the cup, and licking his fingers, still, when apparently more thirsty, he would take up the vessel from which he was fed with both hands, and drink like a man from a spring. His principal food consisted of boiled bread and milk, boiled rice, with sugar, plantains, bananas, oranges, and other fruits, all of which he ate, but seemed best pleased with bananas. He was fond of insects, would search in the crevices of the house for spiders, and if a fly chanced to come within reach, he would dexterously catch him with one hand-the right being generally employed.

"In temper," says Dr. Burrough, "he was remarkably pacific, and seemed, as I thought, often glad to have an opportunity of testifying his affection and attachment to me. When I visited him in the morning, he would commence a loud, shrill Whoo-whoo-whoo, which he would often keep up for from five to ten minutes, with an occasional intermission for the purpose of taking a full respiration, until finally, apparently quite exhausted, he would lie down, and allow me to comb his head, and brush the long hair on his arms, and seemed delighted by the tickling sensation produced by the brush on his belly and legs.

"He would turn from side to side, first hold out one arm and then the other, and when I attempted to go away, he would catch hold of my arm or coat-tail, and pull me back again to renew any little attention to him daily bestowed. If I called him from a distance, and he could recognise my voice, he would at once set up his usual cry, which he sometimes brought down gradually to a kind of moan, but generally resumed his louder tone when I approached him.”

THE BARBARY APE.*

THE fertility of that part of Africa from which this animal takes its name has been celebrated even from ancient times. Strabo, the geographer, spake in its praise, and Pliny, the naturalist, extolled its figs, olives, and corn. The former says that the vine trunks were sometimes so thick, that two men could scarcely clasp them round, and that the clusters were a cubit in length. Of these, the Moors cultivate no fewer than seven varieties. The valleys of Mount Atlas, and those of the rivulets that descend from it to the Mediterranean, are covered with a rich and well-watered soil. The dry and rocky table-lands, which lie between the valleys of the interior, greatly resemble the downs of Spain. They abound in scattered groves of cork trees and evergreen oaks, under whose shadow lavender and other aromatic plants grow in great abundance, and rise to an extraordinary height. All the valleys, moderately elevated, form in April and May so many little Elysiums. The shade, the coolness, the bright verdure, the diversity of the flowers, and the delightful odours that prevail, combine to charm the senses of the botanist who roams among them. Even in the summer months, when the parched and cracked soil is covered only with the yellow remains of dead and withering plants, the rose-bay spreads its bright flowers on the banks of all the torrents and rivers, from the tops of the mountains

Inuus sylvanus, Cuvier

down to the deepest valleys. The forests which cover the sides of the fertile mountains of this luxuriant region have several different species of oak, as well as other trees; while the large cypress, like a verdant pyramid, stretches its branches towards heaven; the arbutus yields a red fruit, resembling the strawberry, and the tall broom tree diffuses widely its delightful perfumes. Such are the vegetable products of Barbary, extending, as it does, along the coast of the Mediterranean, and as far inland as the Great Desert, where a traveller beheld only a solitary date tree in the midst of farspreading desolation.

The muzzle of the Barbary ape is large and projecting; the eyes approximated to each other and deeply set in the head; the brows extremely thick, the forehead narrow, the neck short, the canine teeth powerful, and the body thick and muscular. He walks habitually on all fours, but displays surprising agility in climbing. To rest himself he sits down, and when desirous of sleep, either lies down on one side, or, remaining in a sitting posture, suffers the head to fall between the hind legs. He puts everything he does not know to his nose, to test it by the smell. His feelings of whatever kind appear to be expressed by a single grimace, which consists in contracting the lips, drawing in the cheeks, and showing the teeth. Sometimes, however, he testifies his satisfaction by moving his lower jaw, and making a trifling noise with his tongue.

In a state of captivity he feeds on fruits, bread, and boiled vegetables, particularly potatoes and carrots. He has vast powers of apprehension; but to improve his abilities as far as possible, an ape should be obtained when young, as it becomes sullen, morose, and even dangerous, in advancing years. His naturally gregarious disposition appears to be preserved, in its delighting in the society of some little animal. Hence our artist has portrayed him with one in the engraving. A Barbary ape adopts any little animals that are presented to him; takes them about with him, holds them often closely embraced, and is excessively angry if any one endeavours to deprive him of them.

These animals assemble at times in the open plains of India in vast troops, and if they see any of the women going to market, they immediately attack them, and take away their provisions. Tavernier, apparently alluding to this species, says, that some of the inhabitants of India have a strange mode of amusing themselves at their expense. They place five or six baskets of rice, forty or fifty yards apart, in an open ground near their retreat, and by every basket put a number of stout cudgels; they then retire to some hiding place, not far distant, to wait the event. When the apes see that no persons are near the baskets, they soon descend in great numbers from the trees and run towards them. Grinning at each other for some time before they approach, they sometimes advance and then retreat, as though averse to an encounter. At length the females, far more courageous than the males, especially the females which have young ones, which they carry in their arms as mothers do their children, venture to approach the baskets; but as they are about to thrust their heads in to eat, the males on the one side advance to hinder them. Immediately the other party comes forward, and the feud being kindled on both sides, the combatants seize the cudgels and commence a severe fight, which always ends in the weakest being driven into the woods. The victors now fall to in peace, and devour the reward of their triumph..

He also states that he was travelling in India, in company with the English President, when several large apes were observed in the trees around. The President ordered his carriage to stop, and desired Tavernier to shoot one of them. The attendants, who were chiefly natives, and well acquainted with the habits of the apes, begged hin: to refrain from doing so, lest those that escaped might do them some injury in revenge for the death of their companion. As their appeal was unheeded, he killed a female, which fell among the branches, letting the little one that clung to her neck fall to the ground. Instantly all the remaining apes, to the number of sixty or upwards, descended in fury, and as many as could leaped upon the President's coach, where they would soon have strangled him, had not the blinds been immediately closed, and the number of attendants so great as to drive them off, though not without difficulty. They, however, continued to run after the servants for three leagues, at least, from the place where their companion was slain.

Strange as this may seem, we have a similar anecdote in the "Oriental Memoirs" of Mr. Forbes. One of the friends of that gentleman, on a shooting party, killed a female monkey under a banian tree, and carried it into his tent, which was soon surrounded by forty or fifty of the tribe, who made a great noise, and seemed disposed to attack their aggressor. They retreated when he presented his fowlingpiece, the dreadful effect of which they had witnessed and appeared perfectly to understand. The head of the troop, however, stood his ground, chattering furiously. The sportsman, who, perhaps, felt some little degree of compunction at having killed one of the family, did not like to fire at the creature, and nothing short of firing at him would suffice to drive him off. At length the ape came to the door of the tent, and finding threats of no avail began a lamentable moaning, and by the most expressive gestures seemed to beg for the dead body. It was given him; he took it sorrowfully in his arms, and bore it away to his expecting companions.

This ape is remarkable as being the only four-handed animal found on the European continent. The most celebrated abode of this species is the Rock of Gibraltar. in Andalusia, the most southern province of Spain, connected with the continent by an isthmus of low sand, and almost surrounded by the waters of the Mediterranean. Numbers of apes have been observed on its summit, breeding in inaccessible places, and appearing in large droves, with their young on their backs, on the western face of the Rock. Frederick Cuvier says that they walk most commonly on all-fours. while, at the same time, they are very active climbers. He confirms the opinion previously held that they are gregarious, filling the forests with their vast troops, and openly attacking the enemies they think they can overcome, while they drive to a distance, by their numbers and screaming, any intruder of whose powers they are doubtful.

The Spaniards, a few weeks before the memorable siege, attempted the surprise of one of the British outposts; and they would have inevitably succeeded if they had not had to pass a party of apes, whose assemblage was quite as extraordinary as the project of the Spaniards. These, on being broken in upon by the invaders, set up a loud cry, and alarmed the outpost which was menaced. Surely these animals deserved as well of our garrison as the geese did of that of the Capitol.

When Lord Howe went out to their relief he took with him, amongst other reinforcements, the

25th Regiment of infantry. Shortly after the conclusion of peace a party of officers belonging to this corps were amusing themselves with whiting-fishing at the back of the Rock, but were disturbed and obliged to shift their ground on account of being pelted from above, they did not know by whom. At last, however, they came to a place where they were left in peace, and where they caught plenty of

fish.

At this time the drums beat to arms, on some unexpected occasion, and the officers rowed their boat ashore, and left it high and dry on the beach, hurrying where their duty called them.

On their return, their surprise was excessive to find their boat beached, not half so high as they had left it, and at some little distance from its former position. Their amazement was increased, on examining their tackle, to find some hooks baited which had been left bare, and to see the disposition of many things altered. The cause was afterwards explained. An officer of Hanoverian grenadiers, who was amusing himself with a solitary walk, happened to be a close observer of animal and vegetable nature. This man, hearing the chattering of monkeys, stole upon a party of young ones, who were pelting the fishing party from behind some rocks. While they were so employed two or three old ones arrived, who drove the youngsters away, and then remained secretly observing the proceedings of the whiting-fishers.

The fishing party having beached their boat and retired, the apes apparently deemed the time was come for turning their observations to account. Accordingly they launched the boat, put to sea, baited their hooks, and proceeded to work. Their sport was small, as might be anticipated, from the impatient nature of the animals; but what few fish they caught were hauled up with the greatest exultation. When they were tired they landed, placed the boat, as nearly as they could, in her old position, and went up the rock with their game.

General Elliott* never suffered the apes to be molested or taken; but one had been made prisoner previously to the time of his being made Governor of Gibraltar, and was kept chained up in his yard. Another monkey, who had apparently fallen from a rock, had been picked up by one of the General's aides-de-camp, and conducted to the same place. Nothing could be more striking than the meeting of the pair. It was evidently the recognition of two old friends or relations. After contemplating each other for a few seconds they rushed into one another's arms, then pushed each other a little back, as if to make sure of their recognition, and after a second mutual examination again clasped each other to their breasts.

As General Elliott never suffered the apes to be taken or shot, the joke of the garrison was that he had some scheme for making them useful as light troops; and, says Mr. W. Stewart Rose, to whom we are indebted for the fact, "if I could believe that he was much given to such studies, I might suppose that he was indebted to Strabo for such an idea; for Strabo says that Alexander, in his march through India, one morning received a report of a corps having been seen at the outskirts of a wood, manoeuvring after the manner of the Macedonian phalanx. Having verified the truth of this by his own observation, he detached a body of men against them, supported by a second powerful detachment. The enemy, however, did not stand the charge, but to the amazement of the Macedonians took refuge in the trees, casting away what appeared to be pikes, but what were in reality long boughs or saplings, with which they had provided themselves. It was, in fact, a posse of large monkeys, who loomed yet larger in the haze of the morning. These, it seems, had been watching, under cover of their woods, the evolutions of the phalanx, had armed themselves with sticks, larger or shorter, as their position towards the front or rear required, and had at last determined on having a field-day of their own."

Another anecdote from the same authority is very remarkable. A subaltern of the 25th Regiment was the spectator of an extraordinary scene. General Elliott had ordered a very small advanced post to be established on a part of the Rock hitherto undisturbed by military operations, and the officer commanding it had received directions to conceal his little party with the greatest care. The post was taken possession of at night, and the men, ambushed in the hollow of an overhanging crag, were more easily hidden, as a wind, called the Sirocco, had just risen, driving wreaths of mist before it, as thick as those which issue from the mouths of a battery.

"While they were thus lying under cover," says Mr. Rose, "a party of monkeys was seen advancing, with an old gray-headed baboon, carefully guarded, in the centre. They arrived, halted,

• The General was afterwards raised to the peerage by the title of Lord Heathfield, and his monument is placed in St. Paul's Cathedral, with sculptured allusions to the Rock of Gibraltar.