MONKEYS. 28

always composed of one species; their great enemies are
serpents, as they can escape other animals by their superior
agility. Monkeys subsist principally on fruit and succulent
roots; they are very fond of sweets, but when this food fails -
they eat insects and worms, and even descend to the sea-
shore to feast on oysters and crabs: they are said to watch
the former until they open their shells, when they put in a
stone to prevent their closing, and then eat the fish at their
leisure ; to entice the crabs from the holes in which they are
concealed, they put in their thin tails, and when the crab
fastens on it, the artful monkey suddenly withdraws the
bait, and thus drags its prey to shore. As parents they are
extremely affectionate; both the male and female being in-
defatigable in fondling and caressing their offspring.

A few species must suffice as examples, for they are very
numerous, aud they will be selected from those which in-
habit localities probably visited by Solomon’s fleet. .

. The Diana Monkey (Cercopithecus Diana). This species’
is a native of Congo and Guinea. It has a long white beard ;
the body is of a reddish colour, shading into white under-
- neath, with a white crescent on the brow: the tail is very:
long. It has a playful and lively disposition. A

The Green Monkey (Cercopithecus Sabeus) is of a fine