monkey business

from "Banian Tree, the Pride of Hindostan" by James Forbes

(James Forbes was an officer in the East India Company in Bombay, and was Collector of Dabhoi (near Baroda) )

"The Banian or Burr tree (Ficus bengalensis) is deserving of our attention: from being of the most curious and beautiful of nature's productions in that genial climate where she sports with the greatest profusion and variety. .....
....on the banks of the Nerbudda I have spent many delightful days with large parties, on rural excursions, under a tree supposed by some persons to be that described by Nearchus, and certainly not at all inferior to it.
...
On a shooting party under this tree, one of my friends killed a female monkey, and carried it to his tent; which was soon surrounded by forty of fifty of the tribe, who made a great noise, and in a menacing posture advanced towards it: on presenting his fowling-piece, they retreated and appeared irresolute, but one, which from his age and station in the van, seemed the head of the troop, stood his ground, chattering and menacing in a furious manner; nor could any efforts less cruel than firing drive him off: he at length approached the tent door; and when finding his threatenings were of no avail, he began a lamentable moaning, and by every token of grief and supplication, seemed to beg the body of the deceased: on this, it was given to him: with tender sorrow he took it up in his arms, embraced it with conjugal affection, and carried it off with a sort of triumph to his expecting comrades.

The artless behaviour of this poor animal wrought so powerfully on the sportsmen that they resolved never more to level a gun at one of the monkey race."