A marmoset. An Entertaining Specimen of a Delicate Little Pet Monkey.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 176, 30 October 1886, Page 5 (Supplement)

A marmoset. An Entertaining Specimen of a Delicate Little Pet Monkey.

While I write, a email marmoset monkey — length about six inches — disports himself freely in a sumach tree near to a sunny wall in our garden, Amusing himself with catching newly-fledged moths, email spiders, or any other specimens of the insect tribe that may come in hie way. This season these are singularly few and far between, and he will, "faut de mieux," even eat earwigs, or, as Lord Tennyeon's North country "Spinster" calls them, " battle twiga. ' Query, which is the more correct term of the two, or the least incorrect ? Seeing 'that Marmie finds nothing more of an edible kind, I offer him a freshgathered pea-pod, and he eagerly gnaws the end, inserts a tiny hand, and helps nimeelf to one pea after another, devouring it with avidity, all but the skin, which he wisely rejects as tough and indigestible. These little monkeys are very nice in their food— as particular as any epicure in their choice of kind and condition. Everything they take must be of the freshest and beet, Only the ripest and sweetest fruit, only the cream off the milk, only the purest water, ODly live insects, will suit Marmie.' His infinite delight in being in the open air is quite beyond de- , scription. He will climb up or down stairs to get at me, in the hope of inducing me to take him in the garden. If ehut up in his cage he will cry like a child, with the , same object in view ; and to drive out in a 'carriage is as great a pleasure to him as to , any child, i He will look from the window * all the lime, and the little head works this way and that, the bright eyes taking in all , tbVsurrcundinga. Anything that attracts hit special notiee— % red parasol, a white ,. horse, ft bright-coloured van, » child with jr 9kippin"g T «rope- is greeted with a vivacious r.*"^Cbip > cHp *l; fafad an upward iopkpf sym* p» thy at each pawing excitement.' v

'TBeMT'ia, peirhapsriio "dfcKe^garcten In" England around .the. paths, of which a little marmoset has jSaily gamboled during the late warm summer weather, finding its meals cdfi'tsco, in the shape' of small sc»ila and slugs/ spiders, caterpillars, and beetles. He is very fond of the 'wpodloiise, too ,( l *cheeselog," an old. servant calls them,) which is fortunate, since it may be found in the absence of all elae. f • .One is usually taught to suppose that these litttle delicate pets* must be fed on bread and-mllk (which they appear to hate, or at least only take when driven to it by ebeer hunger), and kept in close confinement in a warm room, or a green-house at moat. But certainly where it is possible to enjoy the freah open air in warm weather, with a natural diet of insects, it apparently suits them and gives them a sense of enjoyment of lite which is .the nearest approach to their happy existence in their native wild, beautiful woods of Brazil that we can give them.