faces seemed somewhat lengthened. They occasionally raised themselves
on their hind-legs to get abetter view. They often retreated a few
feet, and then turning their heads over one shoulder, again stared
intently. It was curious to observe how much less afraid they were of
the turtle than of a living snake which I had formerly placed in their
compartment;[521] for in the course of a few minutes some of the
monkeys ventured to approach and touch the turtle. On the other hand,
some of the larger baboons were greatly terrified, and grinned as if on
the point of screaming out. When I showed a little dressed-up doll to
the _Cynopithecus niger_, it stood motionless, stared intently with
widely opened eyes, and advanced its ears a little forwards. But when
the turtle was placed in its compartment, this monkey also moved its
lips in an odd, rapid, jabbering manner, which the keeper declared was
meant to conciliate or please the turtle.
I was never able clearly to perceive that the eyebrows of astonished
monkeys were kept permanently raised, though they were frequently moved
up and down. Attention, which precedes astonishment, is expressed by
man by a slight raising of the eyebrows; and Dr. Duchenne informs me
that when he gave to the monkey formerly mentioned some quite new
article of food, it elevated its eyebrows a little, thus assuming an
appearance of close attention. It then took the food in its fingers,
and, with lowered or rectilinear eyebrows, scratched, smelt, and
examined it, an expression of reflection being thus exhibited.
Sometimes it would throw back its head a little, and again with
suddenly raised eyebrows re-examine and finally taste the food.
In no case did any monkey keep its mouth open when it was astonished.
Mr. Sutton observed for me a young orang and chimpanzee during a
considerable length of time; and however much they were astonished, or
whilst listening intently to some strange sound, they did not keep
their mouths open. This fact is surprising, as with mankind hardly any
expression is more general than a widely open mouth under the sense of
astonishment. As far as I have been able to observe, monkeys breathe
more freely through their nostrils than men do; and this may account
for their not opening their mouths when they are astonished; for, as we
shall see in a future chapter, man apparently acts in this manner when
startled, at first for the sake of quickly drawing a full inspiration,
and afterwards for the sake of breathing as quietly as possible.
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