A pair of proof plates before titles, superb examples of 19th century ‘monkeyana’, portraying monkeys engaged in very human activities and pastimes, the former depicting a pair of duelling monkeys aiming pistols at each other, attended by their seconds under a large oak tree on an expansive heath, a note alluding to the honour of Miss Pug lying on the ground between them, nearby a fallen sign reads ‘Rubbish may be shot here, by order of the …’; the latter plate scene is set in a tavern, where a fist fight has taken place between two card players, one knocked to the ground by the scattered deck and an overturned jug, his seconds trying to revive him, the other pugilist leans back against one second while a sponge or fruit is pressed to his mouth by the other, meanwhile another monkey sits on the adjacent table holding a watch and calling time out, and two more monkeys look on in awe while the female innkeeper, a monkey in bonnet and apron, peers in horror through the door.