Chapter 24

CHAPTER XI.THE CEBIDÆ (concluded)—THE SQUIRREL MONKEYS—DOUROUCOULIS—SAKIS.

General Description of the Second Division of Cebidæ—Without Prehensile Tails—THESQUIRRELMONKEYS—Described by Buffon and Humboldt—Peculiarities of the Species—Anecdotes by Le Vaillant—A Tragic End—THEWIDOWMONKEY—Origin of the Name—THEONAPPO—Its Nocturnal Habits and Peculiar Cry—THEDOUROUCOULIS,OROWLMONKEYS—General Description of the Family—Peculiar Formation of the Arm-bone—THETHREE-STRIPEDOWLMONKEY—Described by Humboldt and Bates—THERED-FOOTEDDOUROUCOULI—THESAKIS—Remarkable Resemblance in the Face to Man—Structural Peculiarities—THECOUXIO—THEPARAUACÚ—THEMONK—Description of the Brain—Other Varieties of the Sakis—Anecdotes of them—THEBLACK-HEADEDSAKIS—General Description

NONEof the remaining groups or genera of these Monkeys of the New World have tails by which they can hang on with, or by the aid of which they can swing or cling when falling. Some kinds may curl the tail around a bough, or use it in their rapid side movements, after the manner of other animals, but it is never truly prehensile.

This deficiency in the prehensile capacity of the tail is, of course, accompanied by an absence of the elaborate tail structures, and the end bones especially are no longer flattened, so as to grasp easily, but are round.

There are other signs of their having a less elaborate conformation than the prehensile-tailed; thus, the front teeth project, or are prominent obliquely in all but one genus, and the feet and hands resemble those of quadrupeds more than ever. In fact, having descended the scale of Monkeys nearly to the bottom, resemblances with the next groups of animals are becoming more and more apparent. Just as the Monkeys of the Old World—the Baboons—resemble the carnivorous animals in many points, so these non-prehensile-tailed Monkeys of the New World have many likenesses with the Lemuroida, and with insect-eating animals, and the smaller they are the greater is the resemblance. There are two divisions of the Monkeys without prehensile tails. In one, the species have the same number of teeth as Mycetes and Ateles; and in the other they have only thirty-two teeth.

In the first division are the Squirrel Monkeys, the Sakis, and the Douroucoulis, forming respectively the genera Callithrix, Pithecia, and Nyctipithecus; and in the second there are the Marmosets and Tamarins, of the genera Hapale and Midas. The second division is distinctly separated from the other by some comparative anatomists, and forms the group of “Arctopitheci,” or Bear Monkeys.

Callithrix means lovely hair, from κάλλος and θρίξ, and merely refers to the pretty fur of these Monkeys, and gives no insight into their peculiarities, and is a mere name. It includes the Squirrel Monkeys, which are distinguished by having good-sized canine teeth, and by the first crushing toothbeing conical in shape, and having an extra tubercle on its base; on the other hand, there are other kinds in it which have short canine teeth, such as the Widow Monkey.

All have the peculiarities of the non prehensile-tailed group, but their front teeth do not project forwards. The tail is round and slender.

Buffon was a great admirer of this long-tailed, very human-headed little Monkey, and remarked that they will always be admired more than any other of their American brethren, on account of their littleness, the gentleness of their movements, their brilliant colour, their large and striking eyes, and their little round faces. He noticed that although the tail was long it was not stout and muscular, as is the case in those which are prehensile; and he observed that they were fond of curling it around objects, and even around their own or their mate’s bodies. Their grey olive body-fur contrasts with their bright red arms and legs, whilst the muzzle is blackish, and these colours, on an active little creature whose body is about ten inches long, and whose tail is not quite fourteen, look very pretty.

Humboldt often had the opportunity of watching the Saimaris, and was much impressed with their affectionate disposition, and says that they readily wept if they were spoken to in a sad manner. When they are spoken to for some time they will listen with great attention, and then will place their little hands to the speaker’s lips. The attempt suggests the great trouble to catch the words as they come out of the mouth. They knew objects when they saw them in pictures, and even when they were not coloured, and when they represented their usual food, such as fruit and insects, they endeavoured to catch hold of them. They entertained a great desire to catch Spiders, and caught them with great skill, either with their hands or mouths.

They feel any sudden change in the temperature of their native woods very soon, and when there is a fall of some degrees in the thermometer, they collect in little troops, and huddle together for the sake of their mutual warmth. There is a vast deal of squabbling and fighting to see who shall get in the middle, and not be left out in the cold, and great is the whistling and squeaking. Unfortunately for the noisy creatures, the Indian hunters take advantage of their assembling in this manner, for when they hear the cries they shoot their arrows in the direction of the Monkeys, and often hit the chilly little group. It is said that when young they have a slight smell of musk.

The Squirrel Monkeys have a small face, and the brain-case behind it is moderately arched above, and sticks out behind very decidedly. This is because the head is placed on the spine differently to the Monkeys already described. In them the opening in the under part of the skull, for the passage of the spinal cord (the foramen magnum) is far back, but in the Squirrel Monkeys it is much further forward; so far forward, indeed, that there is enough room for brain matter behind it to allow the back part of the brain to be relatively larger than in man. Huxley remarks that in this Monkey the cerebral hemispheres (that is to say, the whole of the “brain proper”) project beyond the cerebellum to a greater relative extent than in any other Mammal nearly by one-fifth of their total length. But the fore part of the brain is small, and there are very few convolutions. On referring to the description of the Howlers, this great difference will be appreciated. Gervais, with a laudable desire to account for the great development of the back part of the head, insists on the great love the young show their mother, not leaving her even when she is dead. The orbits of this Monkey are large, and are close together; they are not perfectly separated by bone, for a membrane shuts one off from the other; and the cheek-bone has not the round hole in it which is observed in the Spiders and Howlers. As a whole, the head is very human-like, especially when it is young; but the forehead-bone is triangular, and projects upwards and backwards between the side bones of the head, and the chin is round and prominent. The forehead is narrow, and the muzzle is more protruding, however, than in man.[94]

Le Vaillant, in his introduction to his first voyage, gives the following curious instance of the exhibition of their instinct of clinging to their mother under extraordinary circumstances:—When living inDutch Guiana, at Paramaribo, where he was born, and where he had already, though very young, formed a collection of insects, the future traveller and his party in one of their excursions had killed a female Monkey. “As she carried on her back a young one, which had not been wounded, we took them both along with us, and when we returned to the plantation, my Ape had not quitted the shoulders of its mother. It clung so closely to them, that I was obliged to have the assistance of a negro to disengage them; but scarcely was it separated from her, when, like a bird, it darted upon a wooden block that stood near, covered with my father’s peruke, which it embraced with its four paws, nor could it be compelled to quit its position. Deceived by its instinct, it still imagined itself to be on the back of its mother, and under her protection. It seemed perfectly at ease on the peruke. I resolved to suffer it to remain, and to feed it there with Goat’s milk. It continued in its error for three weeks, but after that period, emancipating itself from its own authority, it quitted the fostering peruke, and by its amusing tricks became the friend and favourite of the whole family;” though it is difficult to suppress a smile at the idea of a Monkey clinging to a full-bottom on a wig-block, and fancying it its mamma. The story, as it begins mournfully with the slaughter of the poor mother, ends tragically for her unhappy offspring. It died a terrible death—the result, indeed, of its own mischievous voracity, but in agonies frightful to think of. “I had, however,” continues Le Vaillant, “without suspecting it, introduced the wolf among my flock. One morning, on entering my chamber, the door of which I had been so imprudent as to leave open, I beheld my unworthy pupil making a hearty breakfast on my noble collection. In the first transports of my passion I resolved to strangle it in my arms; but rage and fury soon gave place to pity, when I perceived that its voraciousness had exposed it to the most cruel punishment. On eating the Beetles it had swallowed some of the pins on which they were fixed, and though it made a thousand efforts to throw them up, all its exertions were in vain. The torture which it suffered soon made me forget the devastation it had occasioned. I only thought of affording it relief; but neither my tears, nor all the art of my father’s slaves, whom I had called from all quarters with loud cries, were able to preserve its life.”

The Monkeys in the second division of this genus have the canine teeth not so long as in the other, and the two middle upper incisors are broad. It contains the Widow Monkey.

This rare and pretty little animal has been compared, and not unaptly, to a diminutive black Dog with a white face. Its whole colour, in fact, is of a uniform shining blackness, with the exception of the face, neck, and arms, which are dull white, the former being surrounded with a narrow band of pure white. This remarkable disposition of colour has obtained for it, from the Creoles, the fanciful name of Widow Monkey, the whiteness of the face, neck, and arms being compared to the veil, handkerchief, and gloves worn in its native country by widows. It is described as particularly gentle and timid, except when a small bird—its natural food—is placed in its sight; it then becomes animated and eager, darts at it like a Rat, and devours it in an instant; at other times it will remain motionless for hours, attentively watching whatever is going on. It seems, however, to have a particular aversion to its hands being touched, since they are immediately withdrawn, and hid under its belly. It evinces a great dread of other Monkeys, but not those of its own species. Of its native history we are entirely ignorant. The usual length of the body is not more than one foot. The head is round, the muzzle short, and the general expression of its physiognomy is agreeable. The colours we have already noticed. The nose is short and flat, and the ears are almost naked. The hands are nearly white on the outside, but black within, and the hinder hands, or more properly feet, are entirely black; the tail is also black, and a little longer than the body. Very probably this pretty Monkey is only a variety of Callithrix amictus, which has a blackish-brown fur, with the under half of its throat white, and the hands are of a dull yellow or whitish colour.

This Monkey belongs to the same division of the genus as the Widow Monkey, and it is interesting because its habits are nocturnal. It feeds and roams by night instead of by day. Doubtlessmany other kinds do so, but it has been recorded of this species from its first discovery. They live in Para, and in the Brazils, and are remarkable for the agile and graceful way in which they jump from tree to tree, the females carrying the little ones on their backs, and moving with the vivacity and restlessness of birds. Resting during the day, they roll themselves up like balls, and utter plaintive, deep-seated, weary cries, which have given them the name of Ventriloquist Monkeys. At night they are all life and movement, and then they search for insects and eggs, and enjoy themselves. Their colour is a reddish-grey, and spotted on the upper parts of the body, and beneath and on the limbs the tint is of a vivid maroon. The tail is grey, tipped with white. There are fourteen species of the genus, and they range to the southern limits of the great forests.

CALLITHRIX AMICTUS.

The name given to these Monkeys conveys their habit of sleeping by day, waking up in the evening, and leading a very restless life during the greater part of the night. They are small animals,with a large round head, short face, and very large eyes; their fur is kept close; they have a tail of some length, but it can only curl around objects without holding on. The body is short, and greatly resembling that of the Squirrel Monkey in some points. They are distinguished as follows:—The two middle upper front teeth (incisors) are broad, and the lower ones project in a slanting direction; the canines are moderately long. The ears are partly hidden amongst the hair of the head, and the eyes are large. There is a curious condition of the upper arm-bone (humerus) of these Monkeys, which they have in common with the different kinds of Cebus, the Squirrel Monkeys, and the little Ouistitis about to be mentioned. It is, moreover, seen in the Carnivora, or the flesh-eating animals. The lower part of the bone, where it is jointed to the two bones of the fore-arm, at the elbow, has one of its projections there (the inner condyle) perforated by a hole. This gives passage to the main artery of the limb and the main nerve, and the use of it appears to be to prevent the contracting muscles of the arm pressing upon these important structures. They resemble some of the lower animals, especially one of the Lemuroida, of the genus Stenops, in the length of the loin back-bones; and, indeed, relatively this lumbar region is longer in them than in any other Monkey. The rib-bearing back-bones are more numerous than in other Monkeys, and there are either fourteen or fifteen of them, and, moreover, their spines are much prolonged forwards, as in carnivorous quadrupeds.

This is another of the interesting objects first made known to us by the researches of M. Humboldt, who described it as one of the most remarkable Monkeys of South America. According to the account of this well-known traveller, its habits are completely nocturnal, as it wanders about only during the night, and retires into hollow trees, or rather recesses, to sleep away the day. In captivity it generally composes itself to rest at nine in the morning, and continues in that state until seven in the evening; if, during this period, it is awakened, it becomes melancholy, listless, and stupid, and seems to have much difficulty in opening its large, owl-like eyes. M. Humboldt’s figure represents the animal dormant. No sooner, however, does the setting sun bring the return of twilight, which to him is his “opening day,” than our little Monkey becomes all life and impetuosity. He then commences his hunt (if unconfined) after small birds, insects, and probably fruits, since he shows no objection to the latter aliment when in captivity. This carnivorous disposition may probably account for the extreme difficulty with which this species is tamed. An individual in the possession of the traveller, and which he kept for nearly five months, could not be reconciled to captivity. It slept during the day, hiding itself in the darkest recess it could find. It seldom played with its master, but showed particular cleverness in capturing flies, and, if irritated, it hissed and struck with its paw like a Cat, the throat being at the same time inflated. Its voice, for so small an animal, is extremely powerful; at times it is described as faintly resembling the howl of the American Tiger, or Jaguar; and at others to be a kind of mew, accompanied by a disagreeable guttural sound. The hair is grey, mixed with white, and glossed with a silvery lustre. The centre of the back is marked by a brown line, and on the head and forehead are three others, diverging, and of a black colour. The chest, belly, and under surface of the limbs are yellowish-orange. The face resembles that of a Cat, and is covered with blackish hairs. The eyes are very large, and the ridges of a bright yellow. The tail is bushy, and half as long again as the body, which measures nine inches and a half.

ARM-BONE OF OWL MONKEY.

Mr. Bates is quoted in the following passages with reference to this and other kinds of Nyctipitheci, and their resemblances:—

“An interesting genus of Monkeys, found near Ega, are the Nyctipitheci, or Night Apes, called Ei-á by the Indians. Of these I found two species, closely related to each other, but nevertheless quite distinct, as both inhabit the same forests, namely, those of the higher and drier lands, without mingling with each other, or intercrossing. They sleep all day long in hollow trees, and come forth to prey on insects and eat fruits only in the night. They are of small size, the body being about a foot long, and the tail fourteen inches, and are thickly clothed with grey and brown fur, similar in substance to that of the Rabbit. Their physiognomy reminds one of an Owl, or Tiger-Cat. The face is round, and encircled by a ruff of whitish fur; the muzzle is not at all prominent. The mouth and chin are small, the ears are very short, scarcely appearing above the hair of the head. The eyes are very large, and yellowish in colour, imparting the staring expression of nocturnal animals of prey. The forehead is whitish, and decorated with three black stripes, which in one of the species (Nyctipithecus trivirgatus) continue to the crown, and in the other (N. felinus) meet on the top of the forehead.N. trivirgatuswas first described by Humboldt, who discovered it on the banks of the Cassiquiare, near the head waters of the Rio Negro. One cannot help being struck by this curious modification of the American type of Monkeys, for the Owl-faced Night Apes have evidently sprung from the same stock as the rest of the Cebidæ, as they do not differ much in all essential points from the Whaiapurais (Callithrix), and the Sia-miús (Chrysothrix). They have nails of the ordinary form on all their fingers, and semi-opposable thumbs; but the molar teeth, contrary to what is usual in the Cebidæ, are studded with sharp points, showing that their food is principally insects. I kept a pet animal of theN. trivirgatusfor many months, a young one being given me by an Indian companion, as a present from my newly-baptised godson. These Monkeys, although sleeping by day, are aroused by the least noise, so that when a person passes by a tree on which a number of them are concealed, he is startled by the sudden apparition of a group of little striped faces crowding a hole in the trunk. It was in this way that my companion discovered the colony from which the one given to me was taken. I was obliged to keep my pet chained up; it therefore never became thoroughly familiar. I once saw, however, an individual ofthe other species (N. felinus), which was most amusingly tame. It was as lively and nimble as the Cebi, but not so mischievous, and far more confiding in its disposition, delighting to be caressed by all persons who came into the house; but its owner, the municipal judge of Ega (Dr. Carlos Mariani), had treated it for many weeks with the greatest kindness, allowing it to sleep with him at night in his hammock, and to nestle in his bosom half the day as he lay reading. It was a great favourite with every one, from the cleanliness of its habits and the prettiness of its features and ways. My own pet was kept in a box, in which was placed a broad-mouthed glass jar. Into this it would dive, head foremost, when any one entered the room, turning round inside, and thrusting forth its inquisitive face an instant afterwards to stare at the intruder. It was very active at night, venting at frequent intervals a hoarse cry, like the suppressed barking of a Dog, and scampering about the room, to the length of its tether, after Cockroaches and Spiders. In climbing between the box and the wall, it straddled the space, resting its hands on the palms and tips of the outstretched fingers, with the knuckles bent at an acute angle, and thus mounted to the top with the greatest facility. Although seeming to prefer insects, it ate all kinds of fruit, but would not touch raw or cooked meat, and was very seldom thirsty. I was told by persons who had kept these Monkeys loose about the house, that they cleared the chamber of Bats, as well as insect vermin. When approached gently, my Ei-á allowed itself to be caressed, but when handled roughly it always took alarm, biting severely, striking out with its little hands, and making a hissing noise like a Cat. As already related, my pet was killed by a jealous Caiarára Monkey, which was kept in the house at the same time.”

RED-FOOTED DOUROUCOULI. (From theProceedings of the Zoological Society.)

This night-loving Monkey has short hair, and a cylindrical tail, and looks like one of the Lemurs. It has rufous hands and feet, the ear-conches are large and prominent, and almost hairless. It inhabits Nicaragua.

Another species[99]is quite nocturnal in its habits, coming out after dark only in search of food in the Peruvian valleys.

Humboldt was much impressed with the resemblance of some of these Monkeys in the face to man. One of them, the Capuchin of the Orinoco, is certainly strangely human in its appearance. The eyes have, according to Broderip, a mingled expression of melancholy and fierceness. There is a long, thick beard, and as this conceals the retreating chin, the face and forehead are much upon a line. Strong, active, and fierce, he is tamed with the greatest difficulty, and when angered he raises himself on his hinder extremities, grinds his teeth in his wrath, and leaps around his antagonist with threatening gestures. “If any malicious person wishes to see this Homunculus,” writes that entertaining author, “in a most devouring rage, let him wet the Capuchin’s beard, and he will find that such an act is an unforgivable sin.” It is so anxious not to wet this fine ornament to its face, that instead of putting the mouth to the stream when it desires to drink, it lifts the water in the hollow of its hand, inclines its head on its shoulder, and, carrying the draught to its mouth, drinks slowly, and with deliberation. This Saki is calledPithecia cheiropotes(the Hand-drinking Monkey). Its length, including the bushy tail, is about two feet nine inches. It is of a brownish-red colour, and the hair of the forehead is directed forwards. The body hair is long, and the beard, which arises below the ears, is brown, inclining to black, and it covers the upper part of the breast. The back is red, the eyes are sunken, and the nails are, with the exception of those of the thumbs, more like claws. They are very solitary, and often are found without their mates.

This Saki has, in common with many others, certain structural peculiarities which group them all in the genusPithecia. For instance, the incisor or front teeth are rather prominent obliquely, and the lower are long. The canine teeth are long, thick, and cone-shaped. The crushing, or molar teeth, are small. The tail is very hairy, and the ears are large. The ribs are broader relatively in this genus than in any other of the Monkeys.

As has already been noticed, the tail differs in length in different members or species of this genus, and consequently it has been divided into a long-tailed and a short-tailed set. The Monkey just mentioned belongs to the long-tailed series, as does also the following:—

This Saki has a beard under its chin, and the fur is generally of a brown-black in the male, and brown in the female. It has a fine fiery tail, and a very human aspect. The name is by no means satisfactory, especially as by a curious mistake the young ones have been called “Israelites.”

Bates gives the following description of this Monkey, whose habits he studied on the Upper Amazon, at Ega:—“One of the Ega Monkeys is called the Parauacú, and is a timid, inoffensive creature, with a long bear-like coat of harsh speckled-grey hair. The long fur hangs over the head, half concealing the pleasing, diminutive face, and clothes also the tail to the tip, which member is well developed, being eighteen inches in length, or longer than the body. The Parauacú is a very delicate animal, rarely living many weeks in captivity; but any one who succeeds in keeping it alive for a month or two gains by it a most affectionate pet. One of the specimens ofPithecia albicans—which is only a variety of this species—now in the British Museum was, when living, the property of a young Frenchman, a neighbour of mine at Ega. It became so tame in the course of a few weeks that it followed him about the streets like a Dog. My friend was a tailor, and the little pet used to spend the greater part of the day seated on his shoulder, whilst he was at work on his board. It showed, nevertheless, great dislike to strangers, and was not on good terms with any other member of my friend’s household than himself. I saw no Monkey that showed so strong a personal attachment as this gentle, timid, silent little creature. The eager and passionate Cebi seem to take the lead of all the South American Monkeys in intelligence and docility, and the Coaita has perhaps the most gentle and impressible disposition; but the Parauacú, although a dull, cheerless animal, excels all in this quality of capability of attachment to man. It is not wanting, however, in intelligence as well as moral goodness, proof of which was furnished one day by an act of our little pet. My neighbour had quitted his house in the morning without taking the Parauacú with him, and the little creature having missed its friend, and concluded, as it seemed, that he would be sure to come to me, both being in the habit of paying me a visit daily together, came straight to my dwelling, taking a short cut over gardens, trees, and thickets, instead of going the roundabout way of the street. It had never done this before, and we knew the route it had taken only from a neighbour having watched its movements. On arriving at my house and not finding its master, it climbed to the top of my table, and sat with an air of quiet resignation waiting for him. Shortly afterwards my friend entered, and the gladdened pet then jumped to its usual perch—on his shoulder.”

BRAIN OF MONK.(From theProceedings ofthe Zoological Society.)

This Monkey is introduced here with a view of explaining the general characteristics of the brain of the group.

The brain of one of these Monkeys weighed 460 grains, or the one-eighteenth part of an entire but emaciated body. The general form is a regular arch, and the cerebellum is covered by the brain proper. Its general form is like that of some of the Cebi, and is less pointed than that of the Old World Apes in front, and less elongated and depressed than those of the lowest Monkeys of the New World, such as the marmosets and Tamarins, for instance.

On the outer surface of the brain there are few but deeply-cut and characteristic furrows. The fissure of Sylvius slopes backwards and upwards, but not very far back, and ends abruptly. On the front lobe there is a deeply-marked fissure, running crossways, backwards, and outwards, and bent in the middle. Separated from this by a wide interval is the fissure of Rolando. The external perpendicular fissure so common in the Old World Monkeys is just visible. On the inner surface the sulci are present in a simple form, and the calcarine sulcus is well curved, and prolonged and bifurcated. This is a better organised brain than that of the Howler, and is not unlike that of the Spider Monkey.

The second series of the Sakis, or those with only a short tail, or a stump of three inches in length, are called Brachyures, from this peculiarity.

MONK. (From theProceedings of the Zoological Society.)

These are the names of a rare Monkey, which Bates described as follows:—“Early one sunny morning, in the year 1855, I saw in the streets of Ega a number of Indians, carrying on their shoulders down to the port, to be embarked on the Upper Amazon steamer, a large cage, made of strong lianas, some twelve feet in length and five in height, containing a dozen Monkeys of the most grotesque appearance. Their bodies (about eighteen inches in height, exclusive of limbs) were clothed from neck to tail with very long, straight, and shining whitish hair. Their heads were nearly bald, owing to the very short crop of thin grey hairs, and their faces glowed with the most vivid scarlet hue. As a finish to their striking physiognomy, they had bushy whiskers of a sandy colour, meeting under the chin, andreddish-yellow eyes. They sat gravely and silently in a group, and altogether presented a strange spectacle. These red-faced Apes belonged to a species called by the Indians Vikarof, which is peculiar to the Ega district, and they had been obtained with great difficulty in the forests which cover the low lands, near the principal mouth of the Japura, about thirty miles from Ega. It was the first time I had seen this most curious of all the South American Monkeys. I afterwards made a journey to the district inhabited by it, but did not then succeed in obtaining specimens; before leaving the country, however, I acquired two individuals, one of which lived in my house for several weeks.

COUXIO. (From theProceedings of the Zoological Society.)

“The Scarlet-faced Monkey lives in forests which are inundated during a great part of the year. It is never known to descend to the ground; the shortness of its tail is therefore no sign of terrestrial habits, as it is in the Macaques and Baboons of the Old World. It differs a little from the typical Cebidæ in its teeth, the incisors being oblique, and in the upper jaw converging, so as to leave a gap between the outermost and the canine teeth. Like the rest of its family, it differs from the Monkeys of the Old World, and from man, in having an additional grinding tooth (pre-molar) on each side of both jaws, making the complete set thirty-six, instead of thirty-two, in number. This Uakari (Brachyurus calvus), also called the White Uakari, from its skin, seems to be found in no other part of America than the district just mentioned, namely, the banks of the Japura, near its principal mouth; and even there it is confined, as far as I could learn, to the western side of the river. It lives in small troops amongst the crowns of the lofty trees, living on fruits of various kinds. Hunters say it is pretty nimble in its motions, but is not much given to leaping, preferring to run up and down the larger boughs in travelling from tree to tree. The mother, as in other species of the Monkey order, carries her young on her back. Individuals are obtained alive by shooting them with the blow-pipe, and arrows tipped with diluted Urari poison. They run a considerable distance after being pierced, and it requires an experienced hunter to track them. He is considered the most expert who can keep pace with a wounded one, andcatch it in his arms when it falls exhausted. A pinch of salt (the antidote to the poison) is then put in its mouth, and the creature revives. The species is rare, even to the limited district which it inhabits. Senikor Chrysostomo sent six of his most skilful Indians, who were absent three weeks before they obtained the twelve specimens already noticed. When an independent hunter obtains one, a very high price (thirty or forty milreis—£3 7s. to £4 13s.) is asked, these Monkeys being in great demand for presents to persons of influence down the river. Adult Uakaries caught in the way just described very rarely become tame. They are peevish and sulky, resisting all attempts to coax them, and biting any one who ventures within reach. They have no particular cry, even when in their native woods. In captivity they are quite silent. In the course of a few days, or weeks, if not very carefully attended to, they fall into a listless condition, refuse food, and die. Many of them succumb to a disease which, I supposed from the symptoms, to be inflammation of the chest or lungs. The one which I kept as a pet died of this disorder after I had had it about three weeks. It lost its appetite in a very few days, although kept in an airy verandah. Its coat, which was originally long, smooth, and glossy, became dingy and ragged, like that of the specimens seen in museums; and the bright scarlet colour of its face changed to a duller hue. This colour, in health, is spread over the features up to the roots of the hair on the forehead and temples, and down to the neck, including the flabby cheeks, which hang down below the jaws. The animal in this condition looks, at a short distance, as though some one had laid a thick coat of red paint on its countenance. The death of my pet was slow; during the last twenty-four hours it lay prostrate, breathing quickly, its chest strongly heaving. The colour of its face grew gradually paler, but was still red when it expired. As the hue did not quite disappear until two or three hours after the animal was quite dead, I judged that it was not exclusively due to the blood, but partly to a pigment beneath the skin, which would probably retain its colour a short time after the circulation had ceased. After seeing much of the morose disposition of the Uakari, I was not a little surprised one day at a friend’s house to find an extremely lively and familiar individual of this species. It ran from an inner chamber straight towards me after I had sat down on a chair, climbed my legs, and nestled in my lap, turning round and looking up with the usual Monkey’s grin after it had made itself comfortable. It was a young animal, which had been taken when its mother was shot with a poisoned arrow. Its teeth were incomplete, and the face was pale and mottled, the glowing scarlet hue not supervening in these animals before mature age; it had also a few long black hairs on the eyebrows and lips. The frisky little fellow had been reared in the house amongst the children, and allowed to run about freely, and took its meals with the rest of the household. There are few animals which the Brazilians of these villages have not succeeded in taming. I have even seen young Jaguars running loose about a house, and treated as pets. The animals that I had rarely became familiar, however long they might remain in my possession, a circumstance due, no doubt, to their being kept always tied up. The Uakari is one of the many species of animals which are classified by the Brazilians as ‘mortal,’ or of delicate constitution, in contradistinction to those which are ‘duro,’ or hardy. A large proportion of the specimens sent from Ega die before arriving at Para, and scarcely one in a dozen succeeds in reaching Rio Janeiro alive. It appears, nevertheless, that an individual has once been brought in a living state to England, for Dr. Gray relates that one was exhibited in the gardens of the Zoological Society in 1849. The difficulty it has of accommodating itself to changed conditions probably has some connection with the very limited range or confined sphere of life of the species in its natural state, its native home being an area of swampy woods, not more than about sixty square miles in extent, although no permanent barrier exists to check its dispersal, except towards the south, over a much wider space. When I descended the river in 1859 we had with us a tame adult Uakari, which was allowed to ramble about the vessel, a large schooner. When we reached the mouth of the Rio Negro we had to wait four days, whilst the Custom-house officials at Barra, ten miles distant, made out the passports for our crew, and during this time the schooner lay close to the shore, with its bowsprit secured to the trees on the bank. Well, one morning Scarlet-face was missing, having made his escape into the forest. Two men were sent in search of him, but returned, after several hours’ absence, without having caught sight of the runaway. We gave up the Monkey for lost, until the following day, when he re-appeared on the skirts of the forest, and marched quietly down the bowsprit to his usual place on deck. He had evidently found the forests of the Rio Negro very different from those of the delta lands of the Japura, and preferred captivity to freedom in a place that was so uncongenial to him.“

This, like the last, must be enumerated among the more remarkable Monkeys of the New World, from all of which it is to be immediately distinguished by the extreme shortness of the tail, a structure which would seem to make it the representative of the Baboons of the Old Continent. It is, in fact, the only one hitherto discovered in America whose tail does not exceed three inches in length. It is altogether a small species, that described by Humboldt measuring little more than one foot five inches from the head to the feet. In its adult state, however, it is described as reaching the length of another foot. Its disposition is inactive, phlegmatic, but very docile. It eats with avidity all sorts of fruits—sweet or sour. These it will seize by stretching out both hands at once, bending the back and body at the same time in a forward attitude. The physiognomy has a much more human expression than that of the generality of Monkeys, particularly in the face, which is naked and black. Its profile is not much unlike the Ethiopian. The head is oval, but flattened on the sides. On the eyelids, mouth, and chin there are a few stiff hairs, but the chin has no beard. The ears are large, and like those of the human subject, are naked. The fur is long, shining, and of a uniform yellowish-brown colour over the whole of the body. The fingers are much lengthened, the nails rather flat; and the tail, notwithstanding its shortness, is thick, and almost naked towards its extremity. Broderip compares its face to one of the old withered negroes, who, by great respectability of conduct, have gained their freedom. Another variety is the White-headed Saki,[106]of which we give an illustration.

WHITE-HEADED SAKI.

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