Cercopithecus entellus, Latr., Hist. Nat. Buff., xxxvi., p. 283 (1809).
Semnopithecus entellus, Desm., Dict. Class. H. Nat., vii., p. 568 (1825); Sykes, P. Z. S., 1831, p. 199; Blyth, J. A. S. Beng., xii. (1843), p. 169; xiii. (1844), p. 470; Hutton, P. Z. S., 1867, p. 944; Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 14 (1870); Schlegel, Mus. Pays-Bas, vii., p. 60 (1876); Anderson, Rep. Zool. Exped. Yun-nan p. 15 (1878; with full synonymy); Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Mamm., p. 27 (1891).
Semnopithecus anchises, Elliot; Blyth, J. A. S. Beng., xiii. (1844), p. 470; xvi. (1847), p. 733.
Presbytis entellus, Gray, Hand-List Brit. Mus., p. 4 (1843; in part); Blyth., op. cit., xvi., pp. 732, 1271, pl. liv., fig. 1 1847; id., Cat. Mamm. As. Soc. Mus., p. 11 (1863); Jerdon, Mamm. Ind., p. 4 (1867).
Semnopithecus albogularis, Müll. u. Schl., Verh. Nat. Gesch., 1839-44, p. 58 (fide Anderson).
Characters.—Nearly allied to S. schistaceus. Crestless; hair on top of head radiating in all directions; ears large, whiskers short, not concealing the ears; prominent supra-orbital projecting hairs, black; face, ears, hands, and feet black. Head, body, limbs, and tail—which is a fourth longer than the body—pale yellowish-brown, darker on the shoulders and the outside of the limbs; under surface paler.
Female.—Smaller than the male.
Distribution.—According to Dr. Anderson, this species ranges from the Deccan northwards to the south bank of the Ganges; its distribution to the north-west, west, and south being uncertain.
Habits.—"Few, if any, wild animals," observes Dr. Blanford, "afford better opportunities for observation than the Hanuman Monkey of Northern and Central India. Generally protected and looked upon as sacred by many of the Hindu inhabitants, it has no fear of Man, and may be found in groves near villages, or even on the village trees, as often as in the depths of the forest. In many parts of India it is a common occurrence to see these Monkeys on the roofs of houses. They frequently pilfer food from the grain-dealers' shops, whilst the damage they inflict on gardens and fields, renders them a great nuisance to the natives. They feed on fruit and grain, but especially on leaves and young shoots. They live in the high trees of the forest and near to water, or in rocky hills, in moderately-sized troops composed of males, females, young, and infants clasping their mothers. An old male is occasionally found solitary. Two communities often enter into deadly combat for possession of some fruit grove, an interesting account of one of which is given by Mr. J. Hughes in the 'Proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal' for 1884." They are at all times very active. "Their voice," continues Dr. Blanford, whose account we have condensed, "is loud and is often heard, especially in the morning and evening. The two commonest sounds emitted by them are a loud, joyous, rather musical call, a kind of whoop generally uttered when they are bounding from tree to tree, and a harsh guttural note, denoting alarm or danger. The latter is the cry familiar to the tiger hunter, among whose best friends is the Hanuman. Safely ensconced on a lofty tree, or jumping from one tree to another as the tiger moves, the Monkey by gesture and cry points out the position of its deadly enemy in the bushes or grass beneath, and swears at him heartily."
The Hanuman is of very tender constitution, and cannot bear up against great changes of climate and temperature and necessarily of elevation; it is, therefore, entirely restricted to the warm lowland regions. There is, according to Captain T. Hutton, no true migration of this species from the upper to the lower districts of Bengal, as has been stated. "I am inclined," writes this observer, "to restrict its range, somewhat loosely perhaps, to between 10° and 25° N. lat. and 75° to 88° E. long., forming with the line drawn across the country from Allahabad to Boondee, a triangular range entirely south of the rivers Jumna and Ganges."