Anecdotes of the Habits and Instinct of Animals | Page 6

a scream of delight, put both his
paws beyond the bars, stretched them out to me, held his head down to
be caressed, uttering a low murmur, and giving every sign of delighted
recognition.
The most melancholy of all monkeys is, apparently, the Chimpanzee;
and although he has perhaps evinced more power of imitating man than
any other, he performs all he does with a sad look, frequently
accompanied by petulance, and occasional bursts of fury. One of the
smaller species, such as those which at different times have been
brought to England and Paris, was offered to Mr. Bowdich for purchase,
while our ship lay in the river Gaboon. His owner left him with us for
four weeks, during which time I had an opportunity of watching his
habits. He would not associate with any other of the tribe, not even the
irresistible Jack; but was becoming reconciled to me, when one
unlucky day I checked his dawning partiality. He followed me to the
Panther's cage, and I shall never forget the fearful yell which he uttered.
He fled as swiftly as possible, overturning men and boys in his way,
with a strength little to be expected from his size, nor did he stop till he
had thrust himself into a boat sail on the after-deck, with which he

entirely covered himself, and which was thenceforward his favourite
abode. It was several days before I could reinstate myself in his good
opinion, for he evidently thought I had had something to do with the
panther. The latter had been in such a fury, that the sailors thought he
would have broken his cage; and he continued restless and watchful for
hours afterwards, proving that the chimpanzee is found in his country
of Ashanti, further to the north than we had imagined. We did not buy
the animal, on account of the exorbitant sum asked for him, and the risk
of his living during a long voyage. He was always very sad, but very
gentle; and his attachment to his master was very great, clinging to him
like a child, and going joyfully away in his arms. Of those kept in the
Zoological gardens of England and Paris, many anecdotes have been
related, evincing great intelligence. One of the latter used to sit in a
chair, lock and unlock his door, drink tea with a spoon, eat with a knife
and fork, set out his own dinner, cry when left alone, and delight in
being apparently considered one of his keeper's family.
It is in equatorial Africa that the most powerful of all the Quadrumana
live, far exceeding the Oran Outang, and even the Pongo of Borneo. Mr.
Bowdich and myself were the first to revive and confirm a long
forgotten, and vague report of the existence of such a creature, and
many thought, as we ourselves had not seen it, that we had been
deceived by the natives. They assured us that these huge creatures walk
constantly on their hind feet, and never yet were taken alive; that they
watch the actions of men, and imitate them as nearly as possible. Like
the ivory hunters, they pick up the fallen tusks of elephants, but not
knowing where to deposit them, they carry their burthens about till they
themselves drop, and even die from fatigue: that they build huts nearly
in the shape of those of men, but live on the outside; and that when one
of their children dies, the mother carries it in her arms till it falls to
pieces; that one blow of their paw will kill a man, and that nothing can
exceed their ferocity.
A male and female, of an enormous species of chimpanzee, were
brought to Bristol by the master of a vessel coming from the river
Gaboon, he had been commissioned to bring them alive, but as this was
impracticable, he put the male into a puncheon of rum, and the female

into a cask of strong brine, after they had been shot. The person who
had ordered, refused to take them, and Professor Owen secured them
for the College of Surgeons. The flesh of that in salt and water fell from
the bones, but it was possible to set the other up so as to have his
portrait taken, which likeness is now in the museum of the college. The
rum had so destroyed the hair, that he could not be stuffed, he was
between four and five feet high, his enormous nails, amounting to
claws, were well adapted for digging roots, and his huge, strong teeth,
must have made him a formidable antagonist. There could not be any
thing much more hideous than his appearance, even when allowances
were made for the disfiguring effects of the spirit in which he had been
preserved.