stance of twelve or
eighteen feet. Her flight might be termed aerial, for she seemed
scarcely to touch the branches in her progress. It was curious to
witness how abruptly she would stop in her most rapid flight. Suddenly
as thought, she would raise her body, and sit quietly gazing at the
astonished spectators of her gymnastics.

"She possessed great quickness of eye; and apples, and other fruit,
were often thrown at her with great rapidity, but she always caught
them without an effort. On one occasion, a live bird was set at liberty
in her apartment. She marked its flight, made a spring to a distant
branch, caught the bird with one hand, on her passage, and attained the
branch with her other hand. She instantly bit off the head of the bird,
picked off its feathers, and threw it down, without attempting to eat
it.

"While exerting herself in feats of agility, the gibbon ever and anon
uttered her call-notes, consisting of the syllables _oo-ah_, _oo-ah_,
in a succession of ascending and descending semitones, during the
execution of which, the lips and frame vibrated. The tones were not
unmusical, but deafening, from their loudness.

"In disposition, this creature was timid, being apparently afraid of
men, but allowing women to come near her, and stroke her fur, and pat
her hands and feet. Her eye was quick, and she seemed to be perpetually
on the watch, scrutinizing every person who entered the room. After
exercising in the morning from three to four hours, she would, if
allowed, spend the rest of the day quietly on one of the branches."

THE BABOON.

This is a large and ferocious species of ape, common in the south of
Africa, and Asia.

_Le Vaillant's Baboon._--This celebrated traveller, while in Africa,
had a dog-faced baboon, whom he called _Kees_. He accompanied his
master in his wanderings, and of his way of life we have the following
sketches: "I made him," says Le Vaillant, "my taster. Whenever we found
fruits, or roots, with which my Hottentots were unacquainted, we did
not touch them till Kees had tasted them. If he threw them away, we
concluded that they were either of a disagreeable flavor, or of a
pernicious quality, and left them untasted. The ape possesses a
peculiar property, wherein he differs greatly from other animals, and
resembles man--namely, that he is by nature equally gluttonous and
inquisitive. Without necessity, and without appetite, he tastes every
thing that falls in his way, or that