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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 203, 28 August 1877, Page 4

The Pilfering Habits of Monkeys. — As they are very bold, their habits in the wild state are often obaervable, their Blynes3 and thieving propenaitiee beiug most amusing. They gather on the roots of the low houses in the bazaars, and look for occasion to Steal. One was observed ou the roof fronting a sweetmeat shop, and feigning to be asleep; but every now and then he looked wistfully at the luscious prise below. It was, however, of no use, for sitting below his stores was the seller, smoking his pipe and looking i decidedly wide awake. This went oq for half an Lour, when the monkey got up, yawned, and stretched bimaelf art. fully, us if" he had just awoke. He begau to play with hia tail, and even Inade believe he was tyiag knots in if as if he were wholly iutem on it; but ever and anon he gave a sharp, siy L look over iiis shoulder at the sweetmeats, but ouly to see the seller Mill there smoking away to his heart's content. The uaookey siill hal patieuce and amused hiuiatlt with his (loas unil bad a good and genetal scratch; and he was rewarded, tor suddenly the confectioner arose irom hia aeiu, took his pipe, and turned towards the back door for a iresh supply o f tobacco.

Instantly the Bhander was on all-fours, and the sweetmeats were before him and behind their owner. In another moment he had jumped off the roof, cleared the street, and was oa the board which was crowded with sugarplums. He of course began to cram as many as possible into his cheekpouches. But, alas for the spoiler, there were other pilferers there in the shape of hornets; his sudden descent frightened them, and they flew off, but returned on the instant, and to take vengeance. Before he could regain hia roof they were all round him, stinging here and stinging there, with great zeal and passion. His efforts to get away from them were frantic, and he scrambled over the rotten roof, displacing the tiles, which came down with a crash; aad at last, when he jumped clear of the enraged insects, he came on to a sharp, thorny biish, from which he could not extricate himself. He had to epic all the nice things out of his pouches, and, screaming with pain — for the thorns were more like fishhooks than anything else — he sat a picture of misery, barking hoarsely now and then. The fall of the tiles brought out a crowd of natives, and they were speedily joined by the confectioner, full of revenge. But the culprit was a monkey, and, therefore, an object of veneration; so a couple of Hindoos managed to rescue him, aud he limped off as well as he could to a neighbouring grove.— Cta/'s Natural History. The London correspondent of the Otago Daily Times writes :— " It has now unfortunately become such a matter of course to hear of dull trade, that it takes a good deal to rouse people to a consideration of what the term really means — viz., oiiaery to many, and actual starvation to some. The pressure is severe enough in the provinces, but in Loudon it is in some places dreadful, the reason being that men whose employment fails them elsewhere all endeavor to get to London where they have a vague hope of getting work to do. Their blind faith in this respect has been fitly compared with that in which the Irish emigrant, until within I the last three or four years, used to sail for New York. The consequence is that to quote the Standard, 'ia the I various parts of London there are today thousands upon thousands of | artisans and humble workmen out of employ, and whose chance of immediate employment cannot be said to be sanguine.' The various charitable organisations find their resources, taxed to|the uJmost to afford even temporary relief to the calls of hunger alone ia these famishing and scantily-clad thousands. The plan of giving free breakfasts on Sunday, mornings to the really destitute, aa has been done in Grlaagow, Edinburgh, aad other towns in the North for two or three years past, is | beiug actively followed in the Metroi poiia, where one mission alone has i given free breakfasts or teas to at least i 60,000 persons ia 53 different districts | of London since the year began. The 'meal' of each person cousists of a : three-halfpenny loaf cut in two and I buttared, and. a mug of coffee of the i estimated cost of a penny. The recipients are Dot taken indiscriminately, but are picked out by the missionaries and their assistants, in order that only cases of real want may receive the relief afforded. The appearance is described as being most wretched, and the sights witnessed upon these occasions are spoken of aa being hearttrending. Doubtless there are numbers in London whose need is as sore, and plight as pitiable, as that of the Bulgarian and Bosnian refuges, save only that they are not in danger of violence. Hunger and cold &ill as surely, if more slowly, tuau the Bashi-Bazouka."