THE NATURALIST. Monkeys as Gold Miners.

Otago Witness, Issue 2206, 11 June 1896, Page 48

THE NATURALIST. Monkeys as Gold Miners.

Captain E. Hokb, who haa just returned from tb.B Transvaal, fcelfe ths story of the monkojs who work fox him fa the mfne&l n I nave 24 monkeye," said be, " employed about my mines. They do tho work of sewiri able-bodiad men, and it is no reflection upon the human labourers to say that they do a class of work a man cannot do an well as they. In many hwitueouß they lend valuable) aid where a man ia useless. They gather up the small pieces of quastz that would be passed unnoticed by the working men, and pile them in little heaps that can easily, be gathered up in a shovel and thrown In the mil*. They are exceedingly adept at catching the little particles, and their sharp eyes never escape the very things that th« human eye would pass over." " How did you first come to employ them 1" " When I went digging gold I had two monkeys the>t were exceedingly interesting pets* They were constantly following me about the mines, and one day I noticed that they wero busily engaged in gathering up little bits of quartz and putting 'them in piles. They seemed to enjoy the labour very much, and would go to themlnea svery morning ami work there during the day. It did not take me long to learn their value as labourers, fox at that time oar working men, who aro mostly natives, were unskilled, and oftentimes almost useless. Mj two petti bad not worked very long before I decided to procure mora, ,So I immediately procured a numbur, and now have twq dozen working daily in and about the mines. It is exceedingly interest* ing to watch my two pat monkeys tsaoh too new ones how to work, and still stranger to see how the newcomers take to it." " How do you control them ? ". " They control thorn* selves. They work juat aa they please, sometimes going down into the mineß when they : have cleared up all the debris on the outside", ! They live and work together without quanefy> i ling any more than men do. They are quitemethodical in their habits, and go to worlc and finish up in the samo manner as human beings wculddo under similar cfcoutsßtanoes. It is very interesting to watch them at their labour, and see how oarefully they look aftet every detail of the work they attempt,'. 1 "What character of labour do they per* form!" "They clean up about the mineii follow the wheelbarrows and cart* used in mining, and pick up everything that falls off on the way. It is strange bow they will discriminate between the tools used by the working men and a piece of quartz. They only keep their eyes on and make a fries about what they must recognise as particles belong* Ing to the mines."

How Animals Wash.— Oats, large and email, make the most car; ful toilet of stuy class of animals, excepting gome of the 1 opossums. Lions and tigers wash themtelrea in exactly the sama manner as the oat, wet* ting the dark, indiarubber-like ball of the forefoot and the Inner toe, and passing It over the fact and behind the ears. The foot it thus at the same time a face sponge and brash, and the rough tongae'dombs the rest of the body. Birds that abb Abchitects. — The large grosbeaks of South Africa live in largo societies. They select a tree of considerable size, and literally cover It with a grass roof, under which their common dwelling Is con* struefced. The roof serves the doable purpose of keeping oil the heat and the rain, and 400 or 500 p*ira of birds are known to have the same shelter. The nests in fchli aerial dwelling are built in regular streets;. A Noted Elephant.— The Zoo hag loit the new gorilla and an elephant* Poor Jang Perchadl He was a Chang amongst ele« phants, and could jasfc manage to walk under the tunnel which connects the two portions of the gardens. Many years ago he acted as the Prince of Walea's postman daring the famous visit of his Royal Highness to India* From camp to postal station he carried the letter bag, and the Prince, ever ready td recognise ability, obedience, and gooq. manners— for Jung was a master of etl* quette — brought him over to his own country and presented him to the Zoo. He was an amiable animal, and loved little ohilfton dearly— if they cams with buns. It was most amusing to see him crash a mnngeV wurzel. The keeper would throw it at himt. he would catch it in Ms capaoiouß maw|: drop it to the floor; crush it with bii monster foot— (what a scrunch it wasl)-* and take up the bits with the tip of hi* trunk. It is said, by the way, that the very ancient Hindus diacosed o| their criminal* in tbli wacc.

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