M. A. Hoyt.
RHESUS MONKEY.
(Macacus rhesus.)
THE RHESUS MONKEY.
(Macacus rhesus.)
It was in Simla that we first encountered the Rhesus Monkey. We had gone up to Simla to escape the intense heat of Bombay, and, refreshed by the cool air of the “hill country,” we were soon ready to make the expedition to the hill called Jako. This hill is indeed the hill of the monkeys. It is eight or nine thousand feet above the level of the sea, and here lives a fakir, who feeds the monkeys as they troop down the mountainside at his call.
Undoubtedly there is no more mischievous monkey than the Rhesus, but, after all, he is not altogether to blame, for the blame may belong to the Hindoos. Some tell us that the Rhesus Monkey is sacred; others think not. But, however that may be, it is a fact that the Hindoos protect the monkeys in every possible way, willingly sharing their food with the bands which are found almost everywhere, and permitting no one to kill them.
This fosters every mischievous trait in these monkeys, and they fear nothing from man. They will devastate every plantation and garden near them. They belong to that genus of the ape family called Macaque, and as this variety, with their near relations, the other macaques, are found all over Southeastern Asia, besides one branch in Western Africa, one can readily see that their mischievousness becomes a serious drawback.
The natives of Baka are said to leave one-tenth of their harvests in heaps for the monkeys, which come down in great numbers and carry away all that is left for them. And this they can readily do on account of their well-developed cheek pouches. These pockets in the cheeks are assuredly most convenient, but are never found on American monkeys. The Old World monkeys are the narrow-nosed variety, while the American monkeys have the broad nose bone.
Our Rhesus Monkeys had, of course, the narrow nose bone. They averaged about twenty inches long, and the tail was half as long. Like all the macaque monkeys, they were of sturdy build, with legs of moderate length. In color the fur was grayish or greenish on the upper part, yellowish over the hips and white below. The tail was greenish above and gray under. The face, ears and hands were of a light copper color.
The mother monkeys were most assiduous in the care of their young, but in educating them one of the most important lessons was to teach them to steal successfully. This the pupils learned with ease, and to find a Rhesus Monkey which could not steal would be a curiosity indeed.