THE NATURALIST.

Otago Witness, Issue 1875, 28 October 1887, Page 36

THE NATURALIST.

A Lesson to the Monkeys. A plague of monkeys recently sorely tried the officials of a small station on the Kram railway, in North-west India. Trucks full of grain for export were often stored up in the station ; and the monkeys came down in large numbers from a neighbouring grove to help themselves to the grain, picking holes in the tarpaulin roofs of the waggons. The officials were wearied out with keeping watch and scaring away the thieves, who daily grew bolder, till an ingenious guard hit upon a stratagem. For several days sweets and fruits were put on the roofs of the waggons, with the result that the whole of the monkey colony was attracted to the spot, and soon became perfectly indifferent to man. One morning, when they were all busily feeding, an engine was stealthily attached to the waggons, and suddenly the train moved off. The monkeys were quite scared, and made no attempt to escape, sitting crouched together, until the train had gone several miles, and stopped at the jungle; then they wanted no hint to leave. Every monkey leaped down howling, and fled into the jungle, whence they never returned to trouble the. railway.