Monkeys In Pennsylvania

A number of monkcys lias recently been seen running at large in the marshe8 along the Delaware and j Schuylkill river, in the vicinity of Girard Point and Point Breeze, with the result that not only has tho novel j cumstance greatly excited the j dents of the neighborhood, many of the younger ones having taken to monkey hunting, but the special treasury ! agents have started an investigation to discover the cause of the unusual j ence of the simians, says the Philadelphia Record. The new Dingley tariff law imposes a .duty qL 20 percent on all such animáis, and the treasury officials are of the opinión that the monkeys escaped from small boats as they were being landed surreptitiously at nlght. During the last month a number of vessels have arrived at both Girard Point and Point Breeze from the Philippine islands and Java, bringing not only monkeys and deer, but large collections of parrots and other rare birds. In every case the masters of the vessels were notifled on their arrival that both the monkeys and birds were dutiable and that permits from the custom house would be necessary before they could be brought ashore. Several of the monkeys have been seen during the present week. They were hiding in the marshes opposite Girard point and appeared to be weak from hunger and expcsure during the recent rains. Chief Officer Rogers of the British steamship Whitefleld, which Is loading at Girard point,caught a large one, which had evidently come from Java, and proposes taking it with him as a pet. It is a common practice among sallors to have monlceys and parrots as pets, and one of the theories of those familiar with the circumstances is that the animáis escaped from their owners and wandered off or that the sailors, becoming tired of the bother and expense of keeping the pets, had released them and turned them loose into the marshes. The customs officials have recently seized several lots of these animáis which were being smuggled into the country, and they are determined, if possible, to find out how the foreign wanderers get into the Philadelphia marshes.