Pet Monkeys and Lemurs.

Otago Witness, Issue 2565, 13 May 1903, Page 64

Pet Monkeys and Lemurs.

Mr H. Soherrea writes as follows in the Field: — Though a single monkey or lemur ie quite an ordinary pet, or ,t any rate so little out of the common as to excite no remark 1 , it is not often that one can number among his acquaintances anybody so fond of these animals as to build a house, fit it up with cages of excellent pattern and workmanship, and stock it with about a dozen examples of rare 6pecies, t< the care of which a good deal of time and money is devoted. Not king since T was so fortunate as to meet one of the fellows of the Zoological Society who is, and has been for years, interested in these animals, which he kindly invited me to see. On the last occasion when idditions were made to his small monkay house he informed me of the fact, and for the second time I had the pleasure of inspecting his collecticm, all of which were in good health and capital condition. Their owner kindly allowed me to make some notes as to his methods, which I venture to think are not without interest. | The owner's residence is situated in a northern suburb, well within the cab radius, and at the €md of a large and well-kept garden is the monkey-house. A system of steam pipes maintains an even temperature,, not very much above 60deg. There is plenty of ventilation, but draughts are, of course, guarded against, so far as I could discover effectually. The cages are rcomy, allowing plenty of space for exercise, and no animal has a cage to its-slf unless there be some reason, such a<3 age or temper, for S3gregating it. Two animals constitute the rormal complement for a :age or compartment, but in an extra large one there are four. One man has charge of them, and takes quite as much interest in them ns their owner Jces, and they are listinctly pets with master and mam. This ensures them an amount of attention which menagerie animals do not get, and which, from -the nature of the conditions under which they are kept, they cannot have. As a consequence these animals thrive wonderfully, and here has been established what is probably a record in longevity, for a whitefronted lemur has lived just a dozen years in thie monkey-house. The owner visits his pets at least twice a day, and his appearance is the signal for all of them to rush to ;he fro it if the cages, for they kmow by experience that they are sure of something — a few raisins or a piece of banana or apple — just what they get with their Drdinary rations, but it seems as if it tasted all the sweeter from the master's hand, and is always accompanied by kind' words, or an approving stroke, while a special favourite may bs taken out and allowed to rest for a few minutes on bis arm. There are four monkeys in the uollection, twe specimens of Humboldt's lagothrix, or woolly monkey— the nigger monkey of dealers, and two squirrel monkeys. Neither of these species, as a rule, bears :onfinemoat well, and a fall in temperature is keenly felt by the squirrel monkeys. All these, however, are in excellent .-caidition. They share one cage, ant? romp and play together in th< most friendly manner, though, as might be expected, the woolly monkeys, from their heavier build, are more than a jnatch foi their cage mates. Here one may see a red ruffed lemur, 'mported at the same time as the specimen now in the Zoological Gardens, whioh is the larger of the two. Although this species is not often seen in captivity, it is of interest to know that it was exhibited in the Regent's Park Gardens early in the thirties, and that at about the same time Cross had a speoimen at Exeter Change. .The ring-tailed lemur is represented by two 01 ihiee examples. One of these shares a cage witl" a ruffed lemur, to which it has ,'onstitutod itself valet, carefully cleaning and dressing the white fur till it is spotless. Sir Herbert Maxwell once watched a heifer that seemed, as he says, to be the joiffeur of the herd, and good-naturedly placed Its rough tongue at the disposal of its iellows, who came up in turn, and interrupted its feeding so that it might clean their necks and faces. But this ring-tailed lemur needs no such prompting. No sooner does the bigger xnirnal settle than the little follow sets to work and polishes up its rompanion. The loyen of the collection is the white-fronted lemur referred to above, and there are also two or three examples of the commoner species. I spent a rery pleasant hour in watching these animals, which are certainly, as regards condition, equal, if mot superior, .o any I had seen before. [One of the best private monkey houses we have seen is that of Mr Afeheton Smith, of Vaynol Park, Carnarvonshire. Built on the most approved lines, well ventilated, and with an outdoor tage, to which u he animals gain access through the roof, a score of mcaikpys and a couple of Gibraltar apes live in the host of health, and afford pndles'i- amusement to the owner and hk friends.— Ed.] Largest Crab Ever Found. — In the American Mupeum of Natural History is -, wonder of marine life in the shape of a gicjantio Japanese crab, measuring 12ft, making it the largest crustacean im the- world. The specimen is a type of the spider crab, which inhabits the waters of the group of islands [orniing the Empire of Japan. The body portion of this mammoth crustacean is the «ize of a half bushel measure, while its iwo groat arms, containing saw-like teeth, "pincers," could easily encircle :he figure of a man. Its eight arms, or leg?, resemble huge bamboo polos, and are extremely clastic, and if strung into cnie lino they would reach to ihe top of a fourstorey apartment building. One of the sxtraordinary peculiarities of this :rab is Ilie faculty of assuming a disguise by affixing pieces of seaweed and sponges to the body. London's Kinkajou. — A new specimen of 'his curious little bear-like 'mature from •south America has just been added to the joliection of live beasts im the Regent's Park. fiie kinkajou has the odd character A looking like almost anything in the maninalian line rather than that which it acually is. The older zoologists siwpeotod t to be a lemur, hf virtue, probably of its arpe eyes and generally lerrwir-like head. [t is. however, of the bear kind, and lives imong trees, holding fast by its prehensile ail. If the tail be prasped in A\e hand— ?are havimg been previously taken to ascerain Jiat, thp 'eutimente of the kinkajou it:elf are friendly — it will lo what the ?rorolile in "Sylvio md Bruno" did, and that s. walk up '.ts own tail. After this acrobatic feat there is perhaps no further need ts merits to cliseloge^'Wcstmiufiter Gazette.