Macacus rhesus, Desm., Mamm., p. 66, pl. vii., fig. 2 (1820); Anders., Zool. Exped. Yun-nan, p. 55, pl. iii. (with synonymy); Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Mamm., p. 13.
Characters.—Body thick-set and with powerful limbs; face long and narrow, the muzzle somewhat projecting; a few short and coarse hairs on the lips, chin, and cheeks; eyes rather oval; ears somewhat large and sparsely haired. Fur moderately long and straight; hair of head coarse, not radiating, beginning on the orbital ridge, covering the forehead, and directed backwards; fingers haired to the end of the first digits; nails rather claw-like; toes haired; callosities surrounded by a semi-nude part of the buttocks; tail tapering, nearly one-half the length of the body. Length of males, 22 inches, with a tail of 10 inches; females, 16-18 inches, with a tail of 7-8 inches, the hair projecting 1½ inch beyond the vertebræ.
Face flesh-coloured, and sprinkled with short, silky, buff-coloured hair; general colour of the fur on the anterior and upper surface of the body and arms, greyish-brown, the hairs ashy at base, ringed with yellowish or light brown, and tipped with darker brown, or even black, giving a rich rufous, speckled appearance; hinder quarters and outer aspect of the thighs rufous-yellow, the hairs terminating in this colour; lower parts pale yellowish-white, or pale rufous yellow; base of the tail yellowish-chestnut, the rest browner; callosities flesh-colour; eyes yellowish-brown.
Distribution.—The Bengal Monkey is distributed abundantly throughout Northern India as far south as the Godaveri river on the one side, and Bombay on the other, and was long considered to be a characteristic species of Bengal and Upper India. It occurs, however, as Dr. Anderson records, in the valleys of the mountain systems to the north and east of Akyab, and may be traced across the range of mountains that defines Arracan from Burmah, and also as far east as the left bank of the Irawady below Mandalay. It has been obtained in Assam, and by Dr. Anderson in Yun-nan during the expedition to that country. It is said to ascend to 10,000 feet in Kashmir. Mr. 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. If not really sacred to the Hindoos, it is at least rarely molested by them. Dr. Bowdler Sharpe informs the present writer that he observed a flock of these Macaques on the road to Simla, when nearing the latter place. They were running along the road, and as the "tonga" approached, they scrambled up the rocks, and jabbered vociferously, especially the females, who were carrying their young. On Jacko there was, in 1885, a large troop of these animals, and they did considerable damage in the kitchen gardens of the mountain residences, so that the gardeners had to keep a sharp look-out, and fire at them occasionally. When he was staying at Mr. Hume's beautiful place at Simla in 1885, it was often necessary to drive off the Monkeys, and as one or two had been wounded by the head-gardener, the fakir who lived at the top of Jacko was much offended. This man had tamed the Monkeys to such an extent that, when he called them, the trees instantly began to move in all directions with the approach of numbers of these animals hastening to him for the peas which he had in readiness for them. They clustered round him, and though they would not allow strangers to stroke them, they came within arm's length and picked up their food. One patriarch, who remained for some time after the tribe had disappeared into the trees, was called the "Subadar," and wore quite a venerable appearance. Mr. R. Swinhoe has, in the "Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London," given the following curious Chinese observations, extracted from the "Chinese Gazetteer," in reference to this species, which is often called the Hainan Rock-Monkey: "How (or Monkey). The She-Show ('Notes on Animals') states that the Monkey has no stomach, but digests its food by jumping about. According to ancient authors, Kiung Chow abounds in Monkeys, and its people make a trade by selling young ones."
"About the jungles of Nychow (S. Hainan) these Monkeys," says Mr. Swinhoe, "were very common. On our landing, abreast of the ship we saw a large party of them on the beach, but they at once retired into a grove above high-water mark. We watched them running along the boughs of the trees and jumping from branch to branch. The discharge of a fowling-piece soon made them scurry away into the thicket, but every now and again their heads would appear from the higher bushes, watching the movements of the enemy. At last, when they observed that our presence implied actual danger to themselves, they climbed the hills and posted themselves about conspicuous rocks, where they chattered and grunted out of danger. Their cries are very like those of Macacus cyclopis of Formosa."
The young clings to its mother's stomach for about a fortnight after birth, and is nursed with the greatest care by her; after that time it is able to move about by itself, and it thenceforward rapidly acquires the full use of its powers.
Mr. Darwin records that the face of the M. rhesus, when much enraged, grows red. When watching this species in the Zoological Gardens, he says: "Another Monkey attacked a Rhesus, and I saw its face redden as plainly as that of a Man in a violent passion. In the course of a few minutes, after the battle, the face of this Monkey recovered its natural tint. At the same time that the face reddened, the naked posterior part of the body, which is always red, seemed to grow still redder, but I cannot positively assert that this was the case."
XI. THE HAIRY-EARED MACAQUE. MACACUS LASIOTIS.
Macacus lasiotis, Gray, P. Z. S., 1868, p. 61, pl. vi.; id., Cat. Monkeys, Brit. Mus., p. 129 (1870); Anders., Zool. Exped. Yun-nan, p. 83 (1878; with synonymy).