Chapter 3

Macacus lasiotis, Gray, P. Z. S., 1868, p. 61, pl. vi.; id., Cat. Monkeys, Brit. Mus., p. 129 (1870); Anders., Zool. Exped. Yun-nan, p. 83 (1878; with synonymy).Macacus rhesus, Sclater, P. Z. S., 1871, p. 222.Macacus erythræus(nec Cuv.), Schl., Mus. Pays-Bas, vii., p. 112 (1876).

Macacus lasiotis, Gray, P. Z. S., 1868, p. 61, pl. vi.; id., Cat. Monkeys, Brit. Mus., p. 129 (1870); Anders., Zool. Exped. Yun-nan, p. 83 (1878; with synonymy).

Macacus rhesus, Sclater, P. Z. S., 1871, p. 222.

Macacus erythræus(nec Cuv.), Schl., Mus. Pays-Bas, vii., p. 112 (1876).

Characters.—Very nearly allied toMacacus rhesus, from which it differs in its larger size, more hairy ears, and more richlycoloured fur, the hairs having the yellow rings rich orange or brick-red, especially on the hind quarters.

Fur long, fine, and silky, longest on the shoulders, neck, and upper surface of feet; hair on the top of the head not radiated; ears hairy; callosities surrounded by hair; a naked red spot at the outer angle of the eyes; tail about one-fourth of the body in length.

Male.—Dark rich olive-yellow; face pale flesh-colour; sides of the face, neck, and front part of the body olive-grey; hinder parts of the body brick-red; the slaty colour of the fore-limbs, and of the anterior aspect of the legs becoming black on the hands and feet; ears flesh-colour; callosities crimson; throat, chest, and inside of the fore-limbs greyish, washed with rufous above the wrists; belly and inside of the hind limbs greyish, washed with orange-red.

Female.—Fawn-colour, washed with red, especially on the lower back. Face brighter coloured than in the male. Tail one-fourth the length of the body.

Skull more massive, shorter, and markedly broader and with a more vertical muzzle thanM. rhesus.

Distribution.—Province of Szechuen, W. China: Dupleix Mountains, 13,000 feet. (Bonvalot.)

Habits.—Little is known of the habits of this Chinese representative of the Bengal Macaque. In the winter it is said to have a splendid coat of rich brown hair, very long and thick. It is very fierce and powerful.

XII. THE TCHELI MACAQUE. MACACUS TCHELIENSIS.

Macacus tcheliensis, Milne Edwards, Rech. Mamm., p. 227, pls. xxxii. and xxxiii. (1868-1874); A. David, Journ. North China Branch As. Soc., 1873, p. 230.Macacus rhesus(nec Audeb.), Scl., P. Z. S., 1871, p. 222.Macacus erythræus, Schl., Mus. Pays-Bas, vii., p. 112 (1876).Macacus lasiotis, Anderson, Zool. Exped. Yun-nan, p. 83 (1878 pt.).

Macacus tcheliensis, Milne Edwards, Rech. Mamm., p. 227, pls. xxxii. and xxxiii. (1868-1874); A. David, Journ. North China Branch As. Soc., 1873, p. 230.

Macacus rhesus(nec Audeb.), Scl., P. Z. S., 1871, p. 222.

Macacus erythræus, Schl., Mus. Pays-Bas, vii., p. 112 (1876).

Macacus lasiotis, Anderson, Zool. Exped. Yun-nan, p. 83 (1878 pt.).

Characters.—TheMacacus tcheliensisis another species with a very close affinity toM. rhesus, and toM. lasiotis. Dr. Anderson, indeed, has united the Tcheli and the Hairy-eared Macaques under one species; while Dr. Sclater is not prepared to consider either of them, orM. cyclopisin addition, to be distinct fromM. rhesus.

M. tcheliensishas the tail as long only as the hind foot, and densely clothed with long hair. Fur rather long, soft, and silky, and thicker than in the normalM. rhesus. General colour brilliant reddish-fawn, especially on the hinder part of the back and on the tail; sides of the cheeks and shoulders greyish, the yellow rings of the hair being absent; under surface of the body and inner side of the limbs grey; hands and feet greyish-fawn.

The skulls ofM. lasiotisandM. tcheliensisare scarcely distinguishable from each other.

Distribution.—North China. Dr. Bushell, of H.M. Legation in Pekin, who was the first to send this rare Monkey to Europe, writes, in a letter dated 17th January, 1880: "It was obtained by me from the mountains near Yung-ling or Eastern Mausoleum, of the reigning Manchu dynasty, situated about 70 li from Pekin, in latitude 40° N. It is covered with a thick fur fitted to endure the bitterly cold winter of this part of North China, where the thermometer frequently goes down to 10° below zero."

Habits.—Nothing has yet been recorded of the habits of this Macaque in a state of nature.

XIII. ST. JOHN'S MACAQUE. MACACUS SANCTI-JOHANNIS.

(Plate XXVI.)Inuus sancti-johannis, Swinhoe, P. Z. S., 1866, p. 556.Macacus sancti-johannis, Gray, Cat. Monkeys, Brit. Mus. App., p. 129 (1870; in part); Sclater, P. Z. S., 1871, p. 222; Anderson, Zool. Exped. Yun-nan, p. 86 (1878).Macacus rhesus, pt. Sclater, P. Z. S., 1871, p. 222.Macacus erythræus, pt. Schl., Mus. Pays-Bas, vii., p. 112 (1876).

(Plate XXVI.)

Inuus sancti-johannis, Swinhoe, P. Z. S., 1866, p. 556.

Macacus sancti-johannis, Gray, Cat. Monkeys, Brit. Mus. App., p. 129 (1870; in part); Sclater, P. Z. S., 1871, p. 222; Anderson, Zool. Exped. Yun-nan, p. 86 (1878).

Macacus rhesus, pt. Sclater, P. Z. S., 1871, p. 222.

Macacus erythræus, pt. Schl., Mus. Pays-Bas, vii., p. 112 (1876).

Characters.—Male unknown.

Young Female.—Appears to be allied most nearly toM. lasiotis. Face narrow and somewhat projecting; eyes bright hazel; face and ears flesh-coloured; a black whisker-like tuft on either cheek; skin of the upper parts tinted with blue, and sparsely covered with hairs of a light grey; hairs of the belly buff; fur of the upper parts greyish-brown, washed with buff, which is lighter on the head, and brick-dust-red round about the rump. Tail, 4½ inches long, blackish; callosities flesh-coloured. (Swinhoe.)

Distribution.—China; North Lena Island, and most of the small islands near Hong Kong.

Habits.—Nothing is known of the habits of St. John's Macaque. "Dried bodies of this animal," writes Mr. Swinhoe its describer, "split in two are often exhibited hanging from the ceiling in druggists' shops, in Canton and Hong Kong; and its bones are used for medicinal purposes."

XIV. THE FORMOSAN ROCK-MACAQUE. MACACUS CYCLOPIS.

Macacus cyclopis, Swinh., P. Z. S., 1862, p. 353, pl. xiii., 1864, p. 380; Sclater, P. Z. S., 1864, p. 711 (woodcut); Anderson, Zool. Exped. Yun-nan, p. 87 (1878; with synonymy).Macacus sancti-johannis, Gray, Cat. Monkeys, Brit. Mus. App., p. 129 (1870; in part); Scl., P. Z. S., 1871, p. 222.Macacus rhesus, Scl., P. Z. S., 1871, p. 222.Macacus erythræus, pt. Schl., Mus. Pays-Bas, vii., p. 112 (1876).

Macacus cyclopis, Swinh., P. Z. S., 1862, p. 353, pl. xiii., 1864, p. 380; Sclater, P. Z. S., 1864, p. 711 (woodcut); Anderson, Zool. Exped. Yun-nan, p. 87 (1878; with synonymy).

Macacus sancti-johannis, Gray, Cat. Monkeys, Brit. Mus. App., p. 129 (1870; in part); Scl., P. Z. S., 1871, p. 222.

Macacus rhesus, Scl., P. Z. S., 1871, p. 222.

Macacus erythræus, pt. Schl., Mus. Pays-Bas, vii., p. 112 (1876).

Characters.—Allied toM. rhesus, but the head round; the face flat, and round;supra-orbitalregion bare, as in other species; cheeks dark-whiskered; ears small and haired; a strong ruff-like beard; tail stout, thickly haired and tufted, 12 inches long. Fur thick and woolly; hair behind the mouth, and below and behind the ears ringed; hair not longer on the shoulders than on the rest of the body.

General colour olive-grey, or slaty; the hairs finely freckled with yellow; no rufous on the lower back and hind quarters; legs dark, and a distinct black line along the top of the tail.

The characters of the head, face, whiskers, beard, and the thick tail, and the absence of the rufous colour distinguish it fromM. rhesus.M. assamensisis redder thanM. rhesusorM. cyclopis, and has a long head, projecting face, and a short tail.

Female.—Smaller and rather lighter coloured than the male. At the love-period the naked posterior parts with the thighs and tail become excessively swollen, and florid.

Distribution.—The island of Formosa, where it is the only known species of Monkey.

Habits.—The late Consul Swinhoe was the discoverer of this interesting animal. He has given an account of its habits in the "Proceedings of the Zoological Society," from which we quote the following: "The Formosan Rock-Macaque affects rocks and declivities that overhang the sea, and in the solitarycaverns makes its abode. On the treeless mountain in the south-west, called Apes' Hill, it was at one time especially abundant, but has since almost entirely disappeared. About the mountains of the north and east it is still numerous, being frequently seen playing and chattering among the steep rocks, miles from any tree or wood. It seems to be quite a rock-loving animal, seeking the shelter of caves during the greater part of the day, and assembling in parties in the twilight, and feeding on berries, the tender shoots of plants, Grasshoppers, Crustacea, and Mollusca. In the summer it comes in numbers during the night, and commits depredations among the fields of sugar-cane, as well as among fruit-trees, showing a partiality for the small, round, clustering berries of the Longan (Nephelium longanum). In the caverns among these hills they herd; and in June the females may frequently be seen in retired parts of the hills with their solitary young one at their breasts. These animals betray much uneasiness at human approach, disappearing in no time, and skulking in their holes till the intruder has passed. They seem, too, to possess abundance of self-complaisance and resource; for I have frequently seen a Monkey seated on a rock by himself, chattering and crying merely for his own amusement and gratification. Whatever Mr. Waterton may say of the tree-loving propensity of Monkeys in general, it is very certain that this species shows a marked preference for bare rocks, covered only with grass and bush; for if he preferred the forest he might very easily satisfy his desire by retiring a few miles further inland, where he could find it in abundance. But, on the contrary, in the forest he is only an occasional intruder, resorting thither when food fails him on the grassy hills by the sea, where he loves to make his home. The Chinese have a fanciful idea that the tail of theMonkey is a caricature of the Tartar pendant into which they twist their long black hair, and they invariably chop it off any Monkey that comes into their possession. Hence the difficulty of procuring Monkeys in China with perfect tails."

XV. THE CRAB-EATING MACAQUE. MACACUS CYNOMOLOGUS.

Simia cynomologus, Linn., Syst. Nat., i., p. 38 (1766); Schreber, Säugeth, i., p. 91, pl. xiii. (1775).Le Macaque, F. Cuv., Hist. Nat., Mammif., livr. xxx., xxxi. (1819).Macacus carbonarius, F. Cuv., Hist. Nat., Mamm. livr. xxxii. (Oct., 1825).Macacus aureus, Geoffr. in Belang. Voyage, Zool., p. 58 (1834).Macacus philippensis, Is. Geoffr., Cat. Méth Primates, p. 29 (1851).Inuus (Macacus) palpebrosus, Wagner in Schreb. Säugeth, Suppl., v., p. 54 (1855).Macacus fur, Slack, Proc. Acad. Sc. Philad., 1867, p. 36, plate.Macacus cristatus, Gray, Cat. Monkeys, Brit. Mus., p. 30 (1870).Macacusassamensis, Gray,t. c., p. 31.Cercocebus cynomologus, Schl., Mus. Pays-Bas, vii., p. 101 (1876).Macacus cynomologus, Anderson, Zool. Exped. Yun-nan, p. 73 (1878; with synonymy); Blanford, Faun. Brit. India Mamm., p. 21 (1891).

Simia cynomologus, Linn., Syst. Nat., i., p. 38 (1766); Schreber, Säugeth, i., p. 91, pl. xiii. (1775).

Le Macaque, F. Cuv., Hist. Nat., Mammif., livr. xxx., xxxi. (1819).

Macacus carbonarius, F. Cuv., Hist. Nat., Mamm. livr. xxxii. (Oct., 1825).

Macacus aureus, Geoffr. in Belang. Voyage, Zool., p. 58 (1834).

Macacus philippensis, Is. Geoffr., Cat. Méth Primates, p. 29 (1851).

Inuus (Macacus) palpebrosus, Wagner in Schreb. Säugeth, Suppl., v., p. 54 (1855).

Macacus fur, Slack, Proc. Acad. Sc. Philad., 1867, p. 36, plate.

Macacus cristatus, Gray, Cat. Monkeys, Brit. Mus., p. 30 (1870).

Macacusassamensis, Gray,t. c., p. 31.

Cercocebus cynomologus, Schl., Mus. Pays-Bas, vii., p. 101 (1876).

Macacus cynomologus, Anderson, Zool. Exped. Yun-nan, p. 73 (1878; with synonymy); Blanford, Faun. Brit. India Mamm., p. 21 (1891).

Characters.—Body large and massive; head large and broad; legs short and stout; loins slender; hinder quarters heavy; tail thick at the root, nearly equalling the body in length; muzzle long; nose not prominent above the face; eyes large; ears erect, pointed, nearly hairless; frontal ridges not much overhanging the eyes.

Face pale brown, or livid with a bluish-white patch internalto the eyes, the eyelids bluish-white; ears, hands, and feet black; callosities bright or dusky flesh-colour; fur straight; hair of the crown not elongated, directed backwards, sometimes radiated or slightly crested; general colour of the upper surface dusky or greyish-brown, varying to reddish- or golden-brown; under surface of the body and inside of the limbs brownish-grey to white, the hairs being dark at their roots, and higher up ringed with yellow and brown or black; scrotum brown, blotched with livid blue. Length, 22 inches; tail, 19 inches. The females are smaller.

Of this species there are several varieties or races, one in which the prominent colour is golden-rufous (M. aureus, Geoffr.); another (M. carbonarius, F. Cuv.) in which blackish-brown is the prevailing tint of the face, naked hands, feet, and callosities; a third race has a light yellow fur (M. cristatus, Gray); still another (M. philippensis), from the Philippine Islands, is nearly white.

Distribution.—This species is one of the most widely distributed of all the Macaques. The more typical specimens are found in Burmah and Arakan. In Siam a pale variety with less orange in the annulations of its hairs occurs. In the Nicobar Islands (perhaps introduced as Dr. Blanford suggests), in the Malay Peninsula, and in Sumatra, Java, Bali, Lombock, and Timor, the darker (orM. carbonarius) variety seems to predominate. From Borneo—where it ascends to 5,000 feet above the sea—comes the crested, and perhaps also the golden-rufous coloured race (the true home of the latter being still unknown). In the Philippine Archipelago—in Mindanao, Basilan, Luzon, Negros, Samar, and others of the islets—the very light yellow coloured race is met with.

Habits.—The Crab-eating Macaque is gregarious, going about in troops of fifteen to twenty, of both sexes and all ages. They frequent the forests near the river mouths, and coastal mangrove swamps, where they may be constantly seen wading about in the mud, picking up Shrimps and Crabs, which are their favourite food. Tickell says that they swim and dive well. The females are easily trained, and also the young males; but these, when old, are apt to become ill-natured and uncertain in disposition. The mothers are good and tender to their young one, which clings closely with hands and feet for the first few weeks to the hair of the chest or arm-pits and abdomen.

Mr. Everett met with this species in the islands of Sirhassen and Bunguran in the Natuna group, where he says they were abundant. He adds: "They come down in large parties to the sea-shore, sitting in groups on the larger boulders, or playing and hunting for prey along the sands, when the tide is out. In mature animals, the face, hands, and feet are dark brown; the lower eyelids a paler brown; the upper eyelids and upper halves of the orbits whitish. In a very young male the bare skin of the face was livid brown, rather paler on the eyelids, and the hands and feet were dark brown" (Oldfield Thomas and Hartert, Nov. Zool., i., p. 654, 1894).

XVI. THE TOQUE MACAQUE. MACACUS PILEATUS.

Simia pileata, Shaw, Gen. Zool., i., p. 53 (1800).Cercocebus sinicus, Geoffr., Ann. Mus., xix., p. 98 (1812).Macacus sinicus, Desm., Mamm., p. 64 (1820); Kelaart, Fauna Zeyl., p. 8 (1852).Macacus pileatus, Blyth, J. A. S. Beng., xvi., p. 1272 (1847); Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 29 (1870); Anderson, Zool. Exped. Yun-nan, p. 91 (1878; with synonymy); Blanf., Faun. Brit. Ind., Mamm., p. 24 (1891).Cercocebus pileatus, Schl., Mus. Pays-Bas, vii., p. 98 (1876).

Simia pileata, Shaw, Gen. Zool., i., p. 53 (1800).

Cercocebus sinicus, Geoffr., Ann. Mus., xix., p. 98 (1812).

Macacus sinicus, Desm., Mamm., p. 64 (1820); Kelaart, Fauna Zeyl., p. 8 (1852).

Macacus pileatus, Blyth, J. A. S. Beng., xvi., p. 1272 (1847); Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 29 (1870); Anderson, Zool. Exped. Yun-nan, p. 91 (1878; with synonymy); Blanf., Faun. Brit. Ind., Mamm., p. 24 (1891).

Cercocebus pileatus, Schl., Mus. Pays-Bas, vii., p. 98 (1876).

Characters.—Closely allied toM. sinicus; muzzle narrow and protruding; hair in general long, wavy, rough; on the head elongated, radiating from the centre of the top of the head, extending down on to the forehead, and occasionally rising into an erect tuft; tail equal in length to the body; forehead thinly haired and wrinkled. Length, 13 inches; tail, 14¾, in some reaching 21 inches; tail, 18 inches.

In coloration the Toque closely resembles the Bonnet Macaque, but the upper-parts are more rufous, the hairs of the present species (though ringed as inM. sinicus) being above the grey roots rufous-brown, or golden with a shade of chestnut at the tips. It is easily distinguished, however, by the face being livid flesh-coloured, with scattered black hairs, and the margin of the upper lip black; a space about the ears whitish; hands, feet, and ears blackish; the under surface of the body and the inner aspect of the limbs whitish; upper surface of the tail brown, its apex light brown or grey; callosities livid flesh-colour.

Female.—Limbs redder than in the male; inner side of the arms, and patches on the chest and belly indigo blue.

Young.—Hair of the crown not so much flattened down or so radiating as in the adult; the face more old-fashioned and exquisitely comical; the tail nearly naked; and the cheeks, palms, soles, and callosities pale pinkish. (Templeton.)

Distribution.—The Toque Macaque holds in Ceylon the place occupied by the Bonnet Macaque in Southern India.

Habits.—Macacus pileatusclosely resembles the Bonnet Macaque in size, habits, and form. It is known to the Singhalese by the name of Rilawa. "The little graceful grimacingRilawa," as Sir J. Emerson Tennent writes, "is the universal pet and favourite of both natives and Europeans. The Tamil conjurers teach it to dance, and in their wanderings carry it from village to village, clad in a grotesque dress, to exhibit its lively performances. It does not object to smoke tobacco." Knox, in his interesting account of the island, gives an accurate description of the Rilawas, with "no beards, white faces, and long hair on the top of their heads, which parteth and hangeth down like a man's, and which do a deal of mischief to the corn, and are so impudent that they will come into their gardens and eat such fruit as grows there."

XVII. THE BONNET MACAQUE. MACACUS SINICUS.

Simia sinica, Linn., Mantissa, Plant., p. 521 (1771).Cercocebus radiatus, Geoffr., Ann. Mus., xix., p. 98 (1812).Le Toque mâle, F. Cuvier, Hist. Nat., Mamm., livr. xviii. (Juin, 1820).Macacus sinicus, Blyth, J. A. S., Beng., xvi., p. 1272 (1847); Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 28 (1870); Anderson, Zool. Exped. Yun-nan, p. 91 (1878; with synonymy); Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Mamm., p. 23 (1891).Cercocebus sinicus, Schl., Mus. Pays-Bas, vii., p. 99 (1876).

Simia sinica, Linn., Mantissa, Plant., p. 521 (1771).

Cercocebus radiatus, Geoffr., Ann. Mus., xix., p. 98 (1812).

Le Toque mâle, F. Cuvier, Hist. Nat., Mamm., livr. xviii. (Juin, 1820).

Macacus sinicus, Blyth, J. A. S., Beng., xvi., p. 1272 (1847); Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 28 (1870); Anderson, Zool. Exped. Yun-nan, p. 91 (1878; with synonymy); Blanford, Faun. Brit. Ind., Mamm., p. 23 (1891).

Cercocebus sinicus, Schl., Mus. Pays-Bas, vii., p. 99 (1876).

Characters.—Face nude; forehead thinly haired and wrinkled; cheeks hollow; muzzle narrow and protuberant; ears naked and rather prominent; tail nearly as long as the body.

Hair in general moderately long, straight and smooth, that on the crown elongated and radiating in all directions from the vertex, but not covering the forehead, on which the short andsparse hairs are parted down the middle. Length, 27 inches; tail, 24 inches, but often proportionately longer.

General colour of the back and the upper side of the tail brownish-olive; outside of the limbs greyish—the hairs grey at the roots, ringed higher up with dull yellow and black bars; under surface of the body and inside of the limbs, and under side of the tail whitish; face, ears, callosities, and other nude parts livid flesh-colour.

Skull long, lower than that ofM. rhesus; orbits with the transverse diameter greater than the vertical.

Distribution.—Inhabiting all Southern India, being conterminous with theM. rhesuson the east and west coast, the latter species coming as far south as, and the Bonnet Macaque going no further north than, the Godaveri river on the one side and Bombay on the other. (See page 23.)

Habits.—The Bonnet Macaque agrees in habits with those of the species already described. It lives in troops in the forests and jungles everywhere throughout its range. It is much kept in captivity, owing to its docility and its wonderful powers of mimicry.

THE MANGABEYS. GENUS CERCOCEBUS.

Cercocebus, Geoffr., Ann. Mus., xix., p. 97 (1812).

This genus has been established to receive a small, and but little known, group of Monkeys, which is confined to West Africa. They are nearly related to the Macaques on the one side, and even more closely to the genusCercopithecus, next to be described, on the other side. They all have an oval head, and in form are more slender than the Macaques; they have also the muzzle less prolonged, the supra-orbital ridges less developed, the ischial callosities larger, and the limbs proportionatelylonger. They agree with the Macaques, and differ from theCercopitheci, or Guenons, in having a fifth hinder cusp to the posterior lower molar tooth in each jaw; and differ from both in the hairs of the body rarely being ringed with different coloured bars, as is the case with the species of both the genera just mentioned. The nose is situated behind the end of the muzzle. Their most obvious external character, however, and one from which they derive their common name of "White-eyelid" Monkeys, is their pure white upper eyelids, the white streak being more distinct on the inner half of the eyelid than on the outer. These Monkeys want the laryngeal air-sacs seen in the Macaques; but they have large cheek-pouches and a simple stomach, as in the latter. Their tail is always long, quite equalling the length of the body. The hands have a web between each of the fingers, that between the thumb and index finger being very short; in their feet, the great-toe, which is widespread, has a short web uniting it with its neighbour; the second and third toes are united nearly throughout their whole length, the fourth is webbed and united to the third and fifth as far as their mid-joints.

The Mangabeys are confined to West Africa. Like their relatives, the Macaques and the Guenons, they are arboreal, living in troops in the forest country, and feeding chiefly on fruits.

I. THE SOOTY MANGABEY. CERCOCEBUS FULIGINOSUS.

Cercocebus fuliginosus, Geoffr., Ann. Mus., xix., p. 97 (1812); Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 27 (1870); Schl., Mus. Pays-Bas, vii., p. 95 (1876).Le mangabey, F. Cuv., Hist. Nat., Mammif., livr. vi. (May, 1819).Simia fuliginosa, F. Cuv., Mamm., livr. xxxv. (Dec., 1821).Cercopithecus fuliginosus, Martin, P. Z. S., 1838, p. 117.

Cercocebus fuliginosus, Geoffr., Ann. Mus., xix., p. 97 (1812); Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 27 (1870); Schl., Mus. Pays-Bas, vii., p. 95 (1876).

Le mangabey, F. Cuv., Hist. Nat., Mammif., livr. vi. (May, 1819).

Simia fuliginosa, F. Cuv., Mamm., livr. xxxv. (Dec., 1821).

Cercopithecus fuliginosus, Martin, P. Z. S., 1838, p. 117.

Characters.—Hair on the crown of the head not elongated, but directed backward; no beard; eyebrows prominent. Face, ears, and hands nude; tail long and carried over the back; whiskers small, directed backward, below and behind the ears. Face of a livid brownish colour; ears, hands, and feet darker; fur on the upper parts of the body and the outside of the limbs sooty-black; chin, throat, breast, cheek-whiskers to below the ears, the under side of the body, and inside of the limbs, ashy-grey; the whiskers sometimes of the same colour as the back; tail darker grey.

Distribution.—West Africa: Liberia.

Habits.—Writing of this species, Frederic Cuvier observes that it is of a happy disposition, gentle and companionable, but rather petulant. Ceaselessly active, it indulges in the most grotesque antics and attitudes, so that it has been believed [of course erroneously] that they possess more joints in their bodies than other species. The males especially have the constant habit of making a grimace which exhibits their long canine teeth. The females are still more gentle, and fond of being caressed.

Mr. Büttikofer found this species to be rather rare in Liberia. It was occasionally seen on low trees, but chiefly on the ground, where it searches for fallen fruits.

II. THE WHITE-COLLARED MANGABEY. CERCOCEBUS COLLARIS.

Mangabey à collier blanc, Buffon, Hist. Nat., xiv., p. 256, pl. 33; F. Cuvier, Mamm., livr. xxxv. (Dec., 1821)Cercocebus æthiops, Geoffr., Ann. Mus., xix., p. 97 (1812), (necSimia æthiops, Linn.).

Mangabey à collier blanc, Buffon, Hist. Nat., xiv., p. 256, pl. 33; F. Cuvier, Mamm., livr. xxxv. (Dec., 1821)

Cercocebus æthiops, Geoffr., Ann. Mus., xix., p. 97 (1812), (necSimia æthiops, Linn.).

PLATE XXVII.

Plate XXVII.WHITE CROWNED MANGABEY.

WHITE CROWNED MANGABEY.

Cercopithecus æthiops, Kuhl. Beitr. Zool., p. 97 (1820, necS. æthiops, Linn.).Cercopithecus æthiopicus, F. Cuvier, Mamm., livr. xxxv. (Dec., 1821).Cercocebus collaris, Gray, List Mamm. Brit. Mus., p. 7 (1843); id., Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 27 (1870); Schl., Mus. Pays-Bas, p. 96 (1876.)

Cercopithecus æthiops, Kuhl. Beitr. Zool., p. 97 (1820, necS. æthiops, Linn.).

Cercopithecus æthiopicus, F. Cuvier, Mamm., livr. xxxv. (Dec., 1821).

Cercocebus collaris, Gray, List Mamm. Brit. Mus., p. 7 (1843); id., Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 27 (1870); Schl., Mus. Pays-Bas, p. 96 (1876.)

Characters.—Hair on the crown of the head not elongated, but directed backward; whiskers small, directed backward; no beard. Face, ears, hands, and callosities nude; tail long, carried over the back.

Face, ears, and hands black; the top of the head rich reddish-brown; whole of upper side of the body, hinder part of the shoulders, back, external surface of both pairs of limbs, feet, and tail, greyish slate-colour; throat, breast, whole under side of the body and inside of the limbs white, as are the nape of the neck, sides of the face, the fore part of the shoulder, and the front aspect of the arms, as far as the top of the fore-arm; in many species a somewhat broad wash of slate-grey crosses the side of the face from the cheeks to below the ear.

Distribution.—West Coast of Africa.

III. THE WHITE-CROWNED MANGABEY. CERCOCEBUS ÆTHIOPS.

(Plate XXVII.)Simia æthiops, Linn., Syst. Nat., i., p. 39 (1766).Cercocebus æthiops, Geoffr. Cat. Méth. Primates, p. 25 (1851); Gray, List Mamm. Brit. Mus., p. 7; id., Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 27 (1870); Schl., Mus. Pays-Bas, vii., p. 95 (1876).Cercopithecus lunulatus, Temm., Esquiss. Guin., p. 37 (1853).

(Plate XXVII.)

Simia æthiops, Linn., Syst. Nat., i., p. 39 (1766).

Cercocebus æthiops, Geoffr. Cat. Méth. Primates, p. 25 (1851); Gray, List Mamm. Brit. Mus., p. 7; id., Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 27 (1870); Schl., Mus. Pays-Bas, vii., p. 95 (1876).

Cercopithecus lunulatus, Temm., Esquiss. Guin., p. 37 (1853).

Characters.—This species is very similar toC. collaris, but differs in being slightly darker above, and in having a spot onthe back of the head, as well as a narrow streak down the back greyish-white.

Distribution.—West Africa.

IV. THE GREY-CHEEKED MANGABEY. CERCOCEBUS ALBIGENA.

Presbytis albigena, Gray, P. Z. S., 1850, p. 77, pl. xvi; Murie, P. Z. S., 1865, p. 740.Cercocebus albigena, Pucher., Rev. Zool., 1857, p. 241; Schl., Mus. Pays-Bas, vii., p. 97 (1876).Cercocebus(Semnocebus)albigena, Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 27 (1870).

Presbytis albigena, Gray, P. Z. S., 1850, p. 77, pl. xvi; Murie, P. Z. S., 1865, p. 740.

Cercocebus albigena, Pucher., Rev. Zool., 1857, p. 241; Schl., Mus. Pays-Bas, vii., p. 97 (1876).

Cercocebus(Semnocebus)albigena, Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 27 (1870).

Characters.—Face nude, except for a few short hairs on the cheeks and lips; a tuft of long stiff hairs projecting over each eye; hair of the body elongated on the fore-quarter and arm; on the crown and nape the hair long and directed backwards, forming a crest; hands and feet short, tail long, thumb small, and great-toe large and broad; face black.

General colour of the body black; cheeks, throat, a spot behind the ear, sides of the neck, shoulder, and front of the chest greyish; hairs on the face and over the eyes black; tail black; callosities black.

A younger specimen, which died in 1865 in the Zoological Gardens in London, had the throat, sides of the neck and front of the chest, dirty-brown; hairs of the cheeks of the same colour, and some of them also black.

Distribution.—West Africa.

V. THE BLACK MANGABEY. CERCOCEBUS ATERRIMUS.

Cercopithecus aterrimus, Oudem. Zool. Gart., xxxi., p. 267 (1890).Cercocebus aterrimus, Scl., P. Z. S., 1893, p. 256 (note).

Cercopithecus aterrimus, Oudem. Zool. Gart., xxxi., p. 267 (1890).

Cercocebus aterrimus, Scl., P. Z. S., 1893, p. 256 (note).

Characters.—Closely allied toC. albigena, but distinguished by its generally deep black colour, except on the shoulders and nape, which are blackish-brown or brownish-grey—the hair here being no longer than on the rest of the body; hairs on the cheeks, fine, velvety, and whitish; whiskers thick, greyish-brown; beard very sparse, whitish.

Distribution.—South-west Africa: Stanley Falls on the Congo.

Habits.—Unknown.

VI. THE CRESTED MANGABEY. CERCOCEBUS GALERITUS.

Cercocebus galeritus, Peters, M. B. Ak. Berl., 1879, p. 830, pls. i.B and iii. (Crania).

Characters.—A flat crest of blackish-brown hair radiating from the top of the head all round and over the forehead; the entire upper surface covered with long loose fur, the hairs grey at their base, and higher up ringed with greyish-green and blackish-brown; the fore-arms, hands, feet, and the basal three-fourths of the tail blackish-brown; the sides of the head and the whole under surface yellowish; the inside of the limbs yellowish-grey; the hair of the terminal part of the tail lighter than the rest, and ringed with yellow; face, bluish-black.

Distribution.—E. Africa; Mitola, at the mouth of the Osi and Tana rivers.

Habits.—This species was found living in the woods on the coast in small troops of from five to six in number.

THE GUENONS. GENUS CERCOPITHECUS.

Cercopithecus, Erxleben, Syst. Regn. Anim., p. 22 (1777).

The genusCercopithecusincludes a larger number of species than any other of theAnthropoidea. Its members arecharacterised by their rather round head, slender but muscular bodies, narrow loins, and long hind limbs. Their tail is long, though shorter than in the genera next to be described, viz., the Langurs and the Guerezas. Their face is short, the muzzle less elongated, the cheek-pouches larger than in the Macaques. The nose is not prominent, and the nostrils are approximated, while whiskers are generally developed, as well as a longer or shorter beard. Their callosities are less extensive than in the Macaques. They have elongated hands with fingers united by a web at their bases; their thumbs, though distinct, being less developed in comparison than their great-toes. The fur is thick and soft, and in most of the species is ringed with differently and often brilliantly coloured bars.

TheCercopithecihave the skull depressed, presenting no very distinct brow, for its superciliary ridges are less prominent and angular, and their outer margin less projecting in comparison with those of the skulls in the genera already described. The orbits are considerably approximated. Their molar teeth are strongly cusped, and the posterior lower molar has only four cusps, and not five, as in the Macaques; but as in these animals, the two front cusps are united together by a transverse ridge, and the two hind ones are united together.

The Guenons are entirely confined to the African continent, where they range from the Gambia to the Congo, and from Abyssinia to the Zambesi; but the different species are each confined to small restricted areas. Being essentially arboreal, they live entirely in the forest regions, herding together in large troops. They can move from tree to tree with great rapidity, and can climb even on vertical surfaces with surprising quickness. They are abrupt and energetic in their movements, restless, and noisy, incessantly chattering andmaking grimaces. The latter habit is so characteristic of them that they have obtained from it the name ofGuenon, by which they are now so generally known, bestowed on them by the French. Their food consists of leaves, birds' eggs, and honey, but pre-eminently of fruits, while they are especially destructive to the ripe grain-fields of the natives near the woods in which they live. They feed voraciously, and carry off all that their cheek-pouches can hold, even after they are satisfied, or if they are called off by the warning cry of the sentinel, who is said to be always placed on guard on some point of 'vantage when the troop is busy with itsdepredations. The Guenons are not only restless, but very inquisitive; they are, therefore, when young, very easily tamed, and as a consequence they are frequently to be seen as performers in circuses and exhibitions. When aged they are unreliable in temper, and often very ill-dispositioned. They are said, also, to repel with missiles any intruders into the region in which they are established in any numbers.

The known species—numbering about forty—have for the purposes of description and easy subsequent discrimination, been arranged into groups (based on a few of their more or less prominent characters) by different zoologists. Of these M. Isidore Geoffroy St. Hilaire, of Paris, and Professor Schlegel, of Leyden, may be specially mentioned; the arrangement of the latter forming a very convenient key for the determination of the species. Among the zoologists who have more recently revised this genus is the well-known Secretary of the Zoological Society of London, Dr. P. L. Sclater, who has to some extent followed and improved upon Professor Schlegel's arrangement of the genus. In the present review, therefore, of the numerous species of this genus, the six groupssuggested by Dr. Sclater have been adopted. These are (I.) The Nose-spotted Guenons—Cercopitheci rhinosticti; (II.) The Green Guenons—C. chloronoti; (III.) The Rufous-backed Guenons—C. erythronoti; (IV.) The Black-limbed Guenons—C. melanochiri; (V.) The Tufted-eared Guenons—C. auriculati; (VI.) The Bearded Guenons—C. barbati; and lastly, The Three-cusped Guenons—C. trituberculati.

Group I. Cercopitheci Rhinosticti.

The members of this group have a distinct nose-spot of white, red, or blue.

I. THE LESSER WHITE-NOSED GUENON CERCOPITHECUS PETAURISTA.

Simia petaurista, Schreb., Saügeth., i., p. 103, pl. xix. B (1775).Blanc-nez, Buff., Hist. Nat., Suppl., vii., p. 67 (1789).Cercopithecus petaurista, Erxl., Syst. Regn. An., p. 35 (1777); Martin, Mammif. An., p. 539 (1841); Wagn. in Schreber's Säugeth., Suppl., v., p. 250 (1855); Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 20 (1870); Schleg., Mus. Pays-Bas, vii., p. 86 (1876); Scl., P. Z. S., 1893, p. 244.Ascagne(Cercopithecus ascanius), Audeb., Hist. Nat. Singes, Fam. iv., Sect. ii., fig. xiii.; F. Cuvier, Nat. Hist., Mamm., i., livr. xiv. (Fev., 1820).

Simia petaurista, Schreb., Saügeth., i., p. 103, pl. xix. B (1775).

Blanc-nez, Buff., Hist. Nat., Suppl., vii., p. 67 (1789).

Cercopithecus petaurista, Erxl., Syst. Regn. An., p. 35 (1777); Martin, Mammif. An., p. 539 (1841); Wagn. in Schreber's Säugeth., Suppl., v., p. 250 (1855); Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 20 (1870); Schleg., Mus. Pays-Bas, vii., p. 86 (1876); Scl., P. Z. S., 1893, p. 244.

Ascagne(Cercopithecus ascanius), Audeb., Hist. Nat. Singes, Fam. iv., Sect. ii., fig. xiii.; F. Cuvier, Nat. Hist., Mamm., i., livr. xiv. (Fev., 1820).

Characters.—Head round, the forehead rather elevated; nose broad; face and nose covered with short hairs; whiskers short; chin bearded. Head, back, upper side of tail, olive-green—the hairs grey at the base—ringed with darker or lighter yellow and black; facial hairs black, slightly washed with fulvous on the cheeks; skin below bluish-red or violet; lower part of the nose and half of the upper lip white; whiskers and beard white; line across the forehead above the eyes and the ears, andencircling the crown behind, black; a pencil of hair below the ears directed backward, white; throat, chest, under side of body, inside of limbs and under side of tail white; posterior aspect of fore-arms and legs grey, washed with olive; naked parts of chin, ears, and hands purplish-black.

Distribution.—West Africa: Gold Coast and Sierra Leone.

Habits.—The Ascagne, as this animal is also named, is the most common of the Guenons seen in menageries. It is gentle, graceful, and lively. They are perpetually in motion, "gambolling with their companions, and pursuing or being pursued by them, in the exuberance of playfulness. They are at the same time docile and familiar, but dislike to be taken hold of, or interfered with." (Martin.) Allamand says that his specimen, which was in general very gentle, became angry when interrupted while eating, or if it was gibed at, but its irritation did not last long.

II. JENTINK'S GUENON. CERCOPITHECUS SIGNATUS.

Cercopithecus signatus, Jentink, Notes, Leyd. Mus., viii., p. 55 (1886); Sclater, P. Z. S., 1893, p. 257.

Characters.—Very similar toC. petaurista. Sides of head grizzled—the hairs ringed with white, yellowish, and black—and separated abruptly from the reddish upper portion of the head by a black band from ear to ear over the orbits, but not running round the vertex; ears somewhat larger than inC. petaurista.

Cranial portion of skull higher, and the facial portion more produced than inC. petaurista; the jaws longer, and the orbits rounder and wider.

Distribution.—Supposed to be from West Africa, but its habitat is not known with certainty.

III. THE RED-BELLIED GUENON. CERCOPITHECUS ERYTHROGASTER.

Cercopithecus erythrogaster, Gray, P. Z. S., 1866, p. 169, pl. xvi., 1868, p. 182; id., Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 128 (1870); Murie, P. Z. S., 1866, p. 380; Schleg., Mus. Pays-Bas, vii., p. 69 (1876); Sclater, P. Z. S., 1893, p. 252, 1894, p. 1.

Characters.—Fur blackish, speckled with yellow, especially on the head, the hairs being black ringed with yellow; face black; nose-spot white; moustache and frontal band from the temple to the ears black; on each cheek a whitish-yellow spot; whiskers, beard, throat, and sides of neck yellowish-white; chest and under surface of body rufous; inner side of the front of the thighs, and under side of the tail greyish-white; outer aspect of thighs and hind legs grey, speckled with black. Length of body, 13½ inches; of tail, 16 inches.

In the young female the top of the head is yellowish, this colour extending towards the nape.

Distribution.—West Africa. This species has been only once exhibited in the Zoological Gardens of London, viz., in 1866, but recently, according to Dr. Sclater, a specimen lived for a short time in the Zoological Gardens of Rotterdam.

Habits.—Nothing is known of the habits of the Red-bellied Guenon in a state of nature; but Dr. Murie has written of the one that lived for two months in the Zoological Gardens: "Its nature appeared mild and harmless, by no means grave or sedate, indeed rather inclined to be lively and playful, with but little disposition to be quarrelsome. The keeper noticed that it appeared timid, and somewhat distrustful of its more romping companions, but freely approached him, and whentaking food out of his hand seemed pleased, and gently played with his fingers without attempting to bite."

IV. BÜTTIKOFER'S GUENON. CERCOPITHECUS BUETTIKOFERI.

Cercopithecus buettikoferi, Jentink, Notes, Leyd. Mus., viii., p. 56 (1886); Sclater, P. Z. S., 1893, p. 244.

Characters.—Büttikofer's Guenon agrees in all respects withC. petaurista, but wants the black band from ear to ear round the vertex. Of this band "there is no trace, in a series of eight specimens, containing adults and young, males and females" (Jentink). Irides brown.

Distribution.—West Africa: Liberia.

V. MARTIN'S GUENON. CERCOPITHECUS MARTINI.

Cercopithecus martini, Waterh., P. Z. S., 1838, p. 58; 1841, p. 71; Martin, Mammif. Anim., p. 542 (1841); Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 21 (1870); Scl., P. Z. S., 1884, p. 176, pl. xiv.; 1893, p. 245.Cercopithecus nictitans, Schl., Mus. Pays-Bas, vii., p. 89 (1876).

Cercopithecus nictitans, Schl., Mus. Pays-Bas, vii., p. 89 (1876).

Description.—Allied toC. petaurista. Fur tolerably long and but loosely applied to the body. Face naked; whiskers bushy; beard short; tail very long; callosities small. Length of body (type specimen), 22 inches; tail, 26. Length of a female, 19 inches; tail, 24. General colour of head, back, and upper side of the basal part of the tail olive-green, distinctly annulated, the hairs being grey at their base, ringed above with several bars of yellowish-green and black. Face blue; nose-spot, commencing in the middle of the ridge, and extending over its sides and the upper and lower lips, yellowish-white; a black line extending up the ridge of the nose from the end of the white spot to the brow and encircling the eyes;a black bar crossing the forehead from ear to ear; whiskers green; beard white; throat, chest, under side of body, inside of limbs and under side of three-fourths of the tail, greyish-white; fore-arms black; legs black; the arms and thighs of the same colour as the back; upper side of the tail beyond the basal region, and its terminal portion, black; hands and feet black.

As Dr. Sclater has pointed out (loc. cit.): "It is at once distinguishable fromC. petauristaby the black fore-limbs and feet, by the greenish colour on the tail above; the greenish cheeks, without any white stripe beneath the ears, and the bluish skin of the face."

Distribution.—Martin's Guenon is generally brought to Europe from the island of Fernando Po, where it is probably indigenous. It may also inhabit the neighbouring coast of Western Africa.

VI. THE LUDIO GUENON. CERCOPITHECUS LUDIO.

Cercopithecus ludio, Gray, P. Z. S., 1849, p. 8, pl. ix., fig. 1; id., P. Z. S., 1868, p. 182; id., Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 21 (1870), Wagner, in Schreb., Säugeth. Suppl., v., p. 51 (1855); Sclater, P. Z. S., 1893, p. 245.Cercopithecus ascanias, Schl., Mus. Pays-Bas, vii., p. 87 (1876).

Cercopithecus ascanias, Schl., Mus. Pays-Bas, vii., p. 87 (1876).

Characters.—Spot on lower half of nose large, oblong, higher than broad. General colour of fur black or dark greenish-olive, minutely speckled with greyish-yellow. Face and lips blackish-blue, the nose-spot white; ridge of nose above the white spot, superciliary band, crown of head, shoulders and fore-limbs, black; outer and inner aspects of hind-limbs and extremity of tail black; chin, chest, inner side of the upper part of the arms, and under side of body, whitish;whiskers black; rump and under side of the base of the tail rufous.

Distinguished fromC. petauristaby its black limbs, reddish rump and base of tail.

Distribution.—West Africa: Cameroons and the Delta of the Niger.

VII. THE BLACK-CHEEKED GUENON. CERCOPITHECUS MELANOGENYS.

Back to Index Next