. Cassell's natural history. Animals; Animal behavior. TML MAGOT. trees neai- rocks, and, therefore, tliey are not founil in desert tracts or in deep woods. Formerly the Rock of Gibraltar was no doubt continuous with the range of hills far over the sea to the south, and there the Magot plundered (or, nither, took what Nature let liim take; for man had not then come to disturb him) the fruit of Kabylia, Algiers, and Morocco. People have invented many methods by which the Magots could come from Barbary on to the Rock of Gibraltar: some believe in a subterranean passage, wliicli is said stUl
. Cassell's natural history. Animals; Animal behavior. TML MAGOT. trees neai- rocks, and, therefore, tliey are not founil in desert tracts or in deep woods. Formerly the Rock of Gibraltar was no doubt continuous with the range of hills far over the sea to the south, and there the Magot plundered (or, nither, took what Nature let liim take; for man had not then come to disturb him) the fruit of Kabylia, Algiers, and Morocco. People have invented many methods by which the Magots could come from Barbary on to the Rock of Gibraltar: some believe in a subterranean passage, wliicli is said stUl to enable the occasional visits of African relations to their European kindred ; and others, more practically inclined, believe that the Apes came over on board .'iiiip by stealth. Certain it is that the strong cm-rent through the Straits prevents anything from drifting from one side of them to the other. Some years since, some caves were opened and carefully examined in the Rock of Giliraltar, and bones were found of kinds of Hysenas, of Rhinoceros, antl. of Elephants, all compai-able with those still living on the African Continent. Now, such animals could not at the present time live on the Rock, but they might have done so when it was part of a coimtiy extending right away to Africa. Their bones were washed into valleys amongst the hills, and then they fell into deep fissures and became preserved; and this could only have taken place when there was much water in the neighbourhood; and for there to be much water, the whole aspect of thi> country would have to be changed—to be extended far and wide where the sea now is. No Monkey bones were found; but this is to be explained by noticing what occm-s in India. There a dead Monkey is rarer than a dead Donkey in England—so rare, indeed, that the natives believe that their- fellow Monkeys bury them ; but the fact is there are plenty of beasts of prey ready to devour them, sick or dead, and therefore Monkey bones are vei-y
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