X. THE MONKEYS OF THE NEW WORLD.[76]…

X. THE MONKEYS OF THE NEW WORLD.[76]

THE CEBIDÆ--THE HOWLERS--THE WOOLLY MONKEYS--THE SPIDER MONKEYS--THE SAJOUS.

The Monkeys of the New World--How Distinguished from those of the Old--Their Division into Families--The First Family, THE CEBIDÆ, with Prehensile Tails--THE HOWLERS--Appropriateness of their Name--Where Found--General Description--THE YELLOW-TAILED HOWLER--Anatomical Peculiarities and Appearance of the Face--Other Members of the Family--THE BLACK HOWLER--Its Locality--THE WOOLLY MONKEYS--THE CAPARRO AND BARRIGUDO--First noticed by Humboldt--Peculiarities of the Skeleton--THE SPIDER MONKEYS--Seen by Humboldt in the Brazilian Forests--Remarkable Power of the Tail--Flexibility of the Limbs--Conformation of the Brain--Other Species--THE COAITA--Curious Stories of them in Captivity--THE CHAMECK--THE BLACK SPIDER MONKEY--Its Geographical Range--Its Position in Sleep--THE VARIEGATED SPIDER MONKEY--THE SAJOUS--THE CAIARÁRA--Observed by Bates on the Amazon--Other Varieties--THE BROWN SAJOU--THE CAPUCHIN SAJOU--Described by Brehm--Their Remarkable Dexterity and Cleverness--Diseases of Monkeys.

Not one of the numerous kinds of Monkeys which have been noticed in the former chapters has ever been found in the New World--that is to say, on the American continent. The converse is also true, for not one of those which are about to be noticed, and which inhabit the tropical parts of South and Central America, has been seen in any other part of the world.

The two groups are not only distinct as regards their geographical distribution, but they are also different in many very important points of their construction and habits. It is evident that, although it may be said that the resemblances between the Baboons, Macaques, and Troglodytes, for instance, indicate some kind of relationship, and suggest a community of origin, there is nothing of the sort to be traced between any Old and New World Monkeys. They seem to have started from different sources.

All the Monkeys of the New World have the partition between the nostrils broad, and it separates them widely: they open as it were sideways, and the whole of the lower part of the nose is flat. This peculiarity has given the name to the group, as has been explained in the first chapter, and it is accompanied by some others. Thus, with one exception, the numerous genera of the New World Monkeys have the hinder limbs the longest, and they are wont to go on all-fours, the erect posture being only occasionally adopted by the Spider Monkeys. Their thumbs differ less from the other fingers than do those of the Old World Monkeys, and the toe-thumb is large and movable; no cheek-pouches or callosities are seen in any of them, and only a few have air sacs. It is usual to say that the American Monkeys are known by their prehensile tails, but this is only true in part, for whilst some have this member wonderfully developed and useful, others have it incapable of holding on, whilst a few have barely a tail at all. The teeth are more numerous than in the Apes and Monkeys of the Old World, in one set of New World genera; and they are of the same number in another. In the first instance, there are thirty-six teeth instead of the thirty-two so frequently noticed hitherto, and in the last the thirty-two are differently arranged to those possessed by the Old World kinds. For example, in the prehensile-tailed Howlers, there are thirty-six teeth, or one extra tooth in each jaw and on both sides, over and above the usual thirty-two; and this tooth is a false molar, or one of those between the true grinders and the canine teeth. There are thus three false molars instead of two, as in the Old World kinds, on each side in both jaws.

In the Marmosets, which have only thirty-two teeth, there are only two back grinders in each jaw on each side instead of three, as in the Old World Monkeys, but there are three pre-molars in each jaw on each side. All these distinctions are useful in the classification of these American Monkeys, and therefore they have been divided into two families, one having thirty-six and the other thirty-two teeth, and the first family has again been subdivided into the genera with prehensile tails and those without them. The first to be described are the Cebidæ, and this family contains--first, the genera with thirty-six teeth and with prehensile tails; second, the genera without prehensile tails and the same number of teeth.

THE HOWLERS.[77]

Although articulate speech is denied to the Monkey world, many have very extraordinary voices, the capacity for making a noise being great in them. Thus, the Gorilla has a tremendous voice, and the Gibbons are especially noisy, one of them having been noticed (page 77) to be able to emit something like a series of musical notes. But they are all silent in comparison with the noisiest of all Monkeys--the South American Howlers. The females of this group can make a moderate amount of disturbance, but the males surpass every animal in their prolonged and sustained yelling. Their howlings, commencing often suddenly at the close of day or in the middle of the night, amongst the strange stillness of the great virgin forests, appal the traveller on his first visit. “Nothing,” says Waterton, speaking of the Red Howler, “can sound more dreadful than its nocturnal howlings. While lying in your hammock in those gloomy and immeasurable wilds you hear him howling at intervals from eleven o’clock at night till daybreak. You would suppose that half the wild beasts of the forest were collecting for the work of carnage. Now it is the tremendous roar of the Jaguar as he springs on his prey; now it changes to his deep-toned growlings as he is pressed on all sides by superior force; and now you hear his last dying moan beneath a mortal wound.” Humboldt and Bonpland landed at Cumana, and travelled towards the celebrated cavern of Guacharo, and they saw and heard the Howlers often; and on getting into a cold district their horrible din became worse, and was heard at a distance of two miles. This was near the convent of Caripé, which is more than 4,000 toises (a toise being rather more than our English fathom) above the sea, and where the nights are cold. The animal clearly has earned its appellation of the Howler, and might properly have been called Stentor, as was proposed by a distinguished French zoologist. Stentor was a Greek, whose voice was louder than that of fifty men. But Illiger, probably familiar with the writings of the learned Apuleius--that student of Carthage and Athens who married a rich Roman widow, and was therefore accused of witchcraft, and who wrote the “Golden Ass,” a book singularly applicable to modern society--called the Howler after the word Mycetias, an earthquake with a hollow bellowing noise. The word is from μύζω (to moan). An old writer (Margrave) wrote in his Natural History of Brazil, in 1648, that all the Howlers assembled in the morning and evening in the woods, and that one takes his place on a tree high up, and motions to his companions to sit down and listen, and then, after having seen them all seated, commences his discourse, pitched at so high a key that at a distance one would imagine that all the congregation were joining in. But this is not the case; only one orator is allowed to speak at a time, and all the rest wait politely, but not very patiently. When he has had enough howling he motions to the whole, who burst out into a fine chorus for some time. Then, by order, they all cease, and the first recommences, and after having been listened to with due attention the whole depart. What the noise must be sometimes, if they all join in, may be gleaned from the fact that Humboldt saw the trees crammed with them, and believed that more than 2,000 may be found in a square league.

It really does occur that when there is an assemblage of these Monkeys--for instance, of the Mycetes Caraya--when the weather is warm and open, they make the forests resound in the morning and evening with their overwhelming voices. The males begin the dreadful concert, in which the females, with their less powerful voices, sometimes join, and which is often continued for several hours. It does not appear that any especial cause induces them to begin their noise, and probably they do it because it pleases them, as the birds do in their prolonged songs. Mr. Darwin suggests very forcibly that the females are pleased or attracted by it, liking (as in higher animals) the loudest and most intolerable of the noise-makers best. Hence one Howler is, of course, always trying to outdo the others. But it is true that some Howlers live in pairs and indulge in their vocation all the same. Wallace, however, states that the females do not join in the noise, and that the howling is made before bad weather, and in the evening.

These Howlers are the largest of the Monkeys of the New World, some being nearly three feet in length, without counting the long prehensile tail; they have movable thumbs on their hands, a hairless space underneath the tip of the wonderful tail, and the howling apparatus in the throat.

They have rather tall heads, with beard and large lower jaws, which, with a thickness about the throat, give the appearance of an unusual swelling being there, the cause of which will be noticed further on. Some have long and others short fur, but generally there is much of it about the head (where it is brushed forwards) and neck. Black and red are favourite colours, and the young of both sexes differ often in their tints from the adults, and so do the males from the females. One kind in particular is decidedly coloured.

THE YELLOW-TAILED HOWLER.[78]

The last half of the tail of this species is of a brilliant golden-fawn colour, and this tint is on the upper parts of the body nearly up to the shoulders; the rest of the tail is light maroon, and what remains of the body is dark maroon, there being a violet tint in the limbs.

Besides its colours this kind presents some points of interest. They live in companies, and when they pass from one tree to another they all play at follow-my-leader exactly. They watch the movements of those which precede them, jump in the same manner, and at the same place, and even place their feet and hands on the same spots on the boughs. They are found in Columbia and New Granada, and in Brazil on the confines of Paraguay.

The limbs of all the Mycetes are long, and whilst there is a good toe-thumb to the foot, the very best of the hand-thumbs is not equal to those of the Monkeys of the Old World. The nails on the fingers and toes are compressed from side to side, as it were, and begin to look like claws.

Ogilby, an admirable observer, noticed years ago that two Howlers did not use their hands so as to take things between the thumb and forefinger, and he ascertained that this thumb was so much on a line with the other fingers that it was not opposable in the ordinary sense of the word, and that it was more like an extra finger than a thumb. This, he noticed, was not the case with the Howlers alone, but that it peculiarised the Monkeys of the New World. The examination of their skeletons shows that the bones of the thumb are on the same plane or level as the fingers, and the whole is brought close to the fingers, as our great toe is to the other toes. Nevertheless, this thumb can move to and from the fingers.

But if the fore-hand so greatly resembles a paw, compensation is made to the animal by the gift of the prehensile tail, which is very muscular, and the under surface is without hair near the end, so that the sensitive surface can touch and feel objects. They can feel, therefore, around them, and also above them, as they move along and lay hold of branches and hanging creepers without looking for them. The delicate sense of feeling depends on the nervous supply; and the power of clasping and holding on upon the bending or flexor muscles. A bony framework supports all these structures, and runs from the last bone of the sacrum to the tip, and consists of many separate vertebral bones placed in a long series. The first few bones which join on to the sacrum, and form the root of the tail, resemble the back-bone pieces, or vertebræ, to a certain extent. Each has a body, and also processes for jointing with the one before and behind, and a spine also. Besides these, there are two curious projections on the lower part of each body, which are called chevron bones, and are V-shaped, and their use is to allow the blood-vessels and nerves to pass along between them without being pressed upon. Towards the end of the tail the vertebræ become long and stout, and are united behind and in front, forming a broad bone, and without the joints, and the chevron bones are reduced to little rounded pieces of bone. Everything tends in this tail to ready, rapid, and forcible motion, and indeed so perfect an organ is it that when one of these Howlers is shot it always hangs to the tree by its tail, even if quite dead, and does not fall down until some hours afterwards, when the strong flexor muscles have relaxed. Therefore, writes a recent author, if fresh food is required, it is best to kill a Lagothrix (see page 171) in the Peruvian valleys, as hung meat soon becomes tainted. The Golden Howler, nevertheless, furnishes the principal animal food to the inhabitants of the banks of some of the rivers entering the Peruvian Amazon. They keep to the low lands and shores of the rivers, and are found moving from place to place in pairs.

The head of this and all other Howlers has a large black face, and a high receding forehead; the chin recedes much, and there is a great jowl produced by the large bones of the lower jaw. There is a curious swelling at the back of the orbit; and the part of that cavity for the eye which joins the cheek-bone has a round hole in it, as if it had been made by a gimlet. It has two nose or nasal bones, which remain separate, and the forehead (frontal) bone goes so far back that it joins the side (parietal) bones of the skull in a V-shaped suture, or union, and there is not much back to the brain-case, which is depressed in shape, on the whole. They are vegetarians, and yet have very decided canine teeth, those of the upper jaw being large, and they project downwards much lower than the other teeth; and the large lower jaw has evidently quite as much to do with the howling apparatus as with the teeth, for it opens out behind to admit of the great bone of the tongue moving readily within its boundaries.

This Howler, like all the others, has good lungs, and a windpipe ending, as usual, in the larynx and its thyroid cartilage (see page 22), as in other Monkeys. The bone at the base of the tongue (the hyoid) is attached to this cartilage, as usual, by a membrane, and instead of being a flat curved bone with two projections on each side, called horns, is swollen out into a bag shape, the horns being very small. The bone in other animals is at the base of the tongue, and this is the case in the present instance, although it is so large, the inside of the hollow being able to contain four cubic inches of water. Now, the air from the upper part of the windpipe can get into this cavity, as there is an opening between it and the upper part of the larynx. Hence the same noise is produced as if the animal howled into a resonant shell.

In order to strengthen the voice, the cartilage of the larynx itself is large and strong, and the so-called ventricles of it are enlarged into air sacs, and they unite in front of the “Adam’s apple.” Besides these there are other sacs connected with the gullet. So that the whole of the front and sides of the neck below and between the sides of the lower jaw are complicated by air sacs and resounding chambers. The breast-bone of the Howler differs in certain respects from that of all other Monkeys, for its upper bone (manubrium) is halved, and each half supports the end of the collar-bone and first rib. Possibly the resulting space may have something to do with the air sacs.

The possessor of these curious appendages, whatever Howler it may be, for all the species of the genus have them, is active enough in his woods, but still is a sad-looking animal, much given to crawling listlessly from branch to branch, and becoming melancholy in captivity. They have a surly disposition, are never to be made pets of, and are savage; while at the same time they show none of the lively play which makes the Spider Monkeys and little Sapajous so very amusing. Possibly their howling exhausts much of their nervous energy, and certainly their brains are peculiar. The back, or occipital part of the brain, does not cover the cerebellum, or little brain, which is large in proportion to the rest. The brain is small in comparison with those of the other American Monkeys, due allowance being made for the greater size of the Howler; and its surface markings or convolutions are few and simple.

There is much less brain-matter packed up in folds, or convolutions, than in most Monkeys, and some of the most important are wanting (the angular and external perpendicular), and it has a shrunken and contracted look. Everything shows a low condition of intelligence and mental power. The absence of so much brain-matter behind, so unusual amongst the Monkeys, has suggested to those who believe in phrenology that the bump of philo-progenitiveness was absolutely deficient in this species. But in spite of this, we find that the Howlers are kind to each other, and bring up their solitary little ones, teaching and feeding them with just the same amount of affection that all the other New World kinds display. So the love of offspring is not deficient; nevertheless, it may be assumed that the sameness of habits and the slight requirements of their lives render a more elaborate brain unnecessary.

Finally this and all the Howlers have the stomach a little disposed to be arranged as more than one single sac, and in this there is just the hint of the condition in the Semnopitheci of the Old World.

THE BLACK HOWLER.[79]

These Monkeys are called the Monos by the natives of Guatemala, and certainly deserve some other name than Howlers. Howling is a moderate noise in comparison with the loud, widely-heard yell which they can produce. The effect of these noises when produced by four or five animals trying their voices one against the other in the quiet forest is most remarkable and unpleasant. Salvin thus writes:--“The wonderful cry whence Mycetes gets its trivial name of Howling Monkey is certainly most striking, and I have sometimes endeavoured to ascertain how far this cry may be heard. It has taken me an hour or more to thread the forest undergrowth from the time the cry first struck my ear to where, guided by the cry above, I stood under the tree where the animals were. It would certainly not be over-estimating the distance to say two miles. When the sound came over the Lake of Yzabal unhindered by trees, a league would be more like the distance at which the Monos’ cry could be heard.”

The Monos are abundant throughout the forests of the eastern part of Guatemala, but are unknown in the forest-clad regions which stretch toward the Pacific Ocean. They are particularly plentiful in the unbroken forest country which occupies the northern part of Vera Paz, for seldom an hour passes without the weird outcry falling on the ear of the traveller even when at the height of 6,000 feet. At this height in a cold and damp region, where the forest trees are of the largest growth, these Howlers congregate in the upper branches of the highest trees. Living in small companies of five or six, they crawl sluggishly along the boughs when disturbed. It was from such a locality that those specimens of this species were found which are now in the British Museum. The animals afford a dark and not very nice meat, which is readily eaten by the Indians. The young as well as the females are of the same dense black colour as the old males, but the hair is shorter and not so glossy. All have the hair of the front part of the head long and soft, and inclined forward over the forehead nearly to the eyes. There are ten species of Howlers, and they are found in the forests covering the country from East Guatemala to Paraguay.

THE WOOLLY MONKEYS.[80]

Humboldt, in one of his geographical excursions amongst the great streams which feed the Orinoco, went far up towards their sources. Going once into an Indian cabin in those remote regions he saw a large Monkey, of a kind which he had never seen before. He named it, after the words of the natives, “The Caparro,” and from its having a peculiar furry skin which reminded him of the familiar hare-skin of home, he termed it Lagotriche, from λαγώς (a hare), and θρίξ, τριχός (hair, or fur), and thus arose the genus about to be described.

Humboldt’s new Monkey had a prehensile tail which was longer than the body, and underneath, close to the tip, there was a naked and sensitive spot of some length. It had a round and large head, a naked black face, but no beard. There were, however, smellers or long hairs around the mouth. It had long limbs and a shortish body, whose fur was long and sable-grey in colour. A good temper and a quiet disposition appeared to characterise this Monkey, and the natives said it was found in troops, and that it often stood upon its hind legs.

They have thumbs, as well shaped as those of any American Monkey, on the fore hands, as well as on the hinder extremities. They were deficient, however, in the howling apparatus, and therefore they differ from the Mycetes, and as their thumbs were noticed to be large, they differ from the next group of Monkeys, or the Spider Monkeys.

A careful examination of the skeleton shows that the outside differences are accompanied by inside ones, especially in the skeleton.

Thus, there are fourteen rib-bearing back-bones, or vertebræ, and this increase of number over the ordinary thirteen is interesting, because it makes the animal approach those lower than the Primates; then it has four loin vertebræ, and three are in the sacrum bone. There is a curious growth of the second vertebra of the neck or the axis, for its spine is trifid, and has three projections for the attachment of muscles. Finally, the long tail is very elaborate in its bony part, and seven of its bones near the root have so great a resemblance to the back-bones higher up in the body, that they have a canal like that which in the others protects the spinal marrow, which, however, does not reach further down than the lower loins. Then five of them have good strong spines, and all have the chevron or V-shaped bones underneath well grown.

This tail is quite as useful to the Lagothrix as it is to the Howlers and to the Spider Monkeys about to be considered, and they feel with, and swing and hold by it, to perfection.

The Caparro is about two feet two inches in length without the tail, and has been subsequently to its description by Humboldt called Lagothrix Humboldtii, or Humboldt’s Lagothrix.

THE BARRIGUDO.[81]

Bates says of this Monkey, that it is, with the rest of those found in the district of the Upper Amazon, arboreal and diurnal in its habits, and that it lives in troops, travelling from tree to tree, the mothers with the children on their backs; leading, in fact, a life similar to that of some Indians, and like them occasionally plundering the plantations which lie near their line of march. The Barrigudo is the “big-bellied Monkey” of the Portuguese colonists, and they are very bulky animals. They have the head clothed with grey, and they live with the Caparro mentioned above, in the same forests, and lead the same kind of life. One measured twenty-six inches in length, and the tail six, and it was the largest Monkey he saw in America, with the exception of a Black Howler, who was twenty-eight inches in length. The skin of the face of a Barrigudo is black and wrinkled, the forehead is low, and the eyebrows project; and, in short, the features resemble in a striking manner those of an old negro. It is not an active animal in the forests, and lives exclusively on fruits, but is much persecuted by the Indians on account of the excellence of its flesh as food. From information given to Mr. Bates he calculated that one troop of these Indians numbering about 200, destroyed 1,200 Monkeys a year for food. Consequently they are diminishing in numbers, and are not found on the Lower Amazon at all. Its manners in captivity are grave, and its temper is mild and confiding. Owing to these traits the Barrigudo is much sought after as a pet; but it is not hardy, and seldom survives a journey down the river.

There are five species of the Woolly Monkeys, and they are found in the valley of the Upper Amazon and along the slopes of the Andes to Venezuela and Bolivia (Wallace).

THE SPIDER MONKEYS--THE THUMBLESS MONKEYS OF AMERICA.[82]

Many early travellers recorded that during their wanderings by the sides of the rivers of the northern part of South America, and in the Isthmus of Panama, small troops of dark-coloured Monkeys could be seen rushing along amongst the trees, swinging under the branches, and feeding upon berries. Sometimes they would stop on the lower branches of the trees and look at the intruders; but usually they scampered off, swinging with their front limbs and clasping with the hinder, having their stout and long tail ready for emergencies. Their length of limb, slender bodies, long hair, and their long tail, by which they suspend themselves, and their extremely variable movements, soon gave them the name of Spider Monkeys amongst those interested in their habits, although, of course, the natives had some names of their own for them.

Humboldt saw them in the great virgin forests of Brazil, hanging in curious clusters, clasping each other by means of their limbs and tails, and all being suspended by the tail of one strong fellow. He was, as everybody must be, greatly impressed with their clever use of their tails, for he observed them being used as a fifth member, and with all the dexterity of hands. The natives will have it that they fish with their tails, but this is of course untrue, and they do not carry anything to their mouths with them. They are wonderful swingers and claspers, and they are exquisitely sensitive at the tip and for some inches underneath it, and they are stout where they join the body, exceedingly muscular, and in some kinds there are long hairs on them, especially near the end.

These Monkeys have small heads, long necks, and exceedingly long arms and legs; some are covered with a soft fur, and in others it is harsh, and the hairs are long and rigid; and all have the thumbs of the hands either absent or just visible as slight projections. The feet are long and have well-shaped toe-thumbs. Their head is round, and the muzzle only projects slightly, so that there is something human in their appearance, especially when their large eyes are open; and the hair in some kinds is brushed forwards on the cheeks and brows so as to resemble whiskers and front hair. There is something in their shape, without the tail, which reminds one of the Gibbons, those long-armed Apes of the East, and the fore-hands resemble those of the Colobi of Africa (page 100); but the Spider Monkeys have not the power of jumping possessed by these, and their hind legs, useful as they are when amidst the great trailing orchids and the climbers of the American tropics, are feeble members when on the ground. Then the Monkey walks on the outside edge of the feet, and on the inside edge of the hand, with its tail feeling here and there for anything to catch hold of. Often they are very sedate and slow in their movements, like the Semnopitheci of India, and they indulge in a series of climbings from bough to bough, swinging from one to the other, and holding on now and then and assisting in the movement with the tail. They are as gentle in their manners as those just mentioned, and are full of play with each other.

Their teeth resemble those of the Howlers, but the eye teeth, or canines, are smaller, and the crushing teeth, or molars, are rounder.

From the defective thumbs, all these Monkeys as a group or genus have been termed “imperfect-handed,” and therefore two Greek words which convey these terms ἀτελής (imperfect), and χείρ (the hand), have been conjoined in the word Atelochirus, of which Ateles is used as an abbreviation.

But on examining the hands carefully, and noticing the deep parts as well as the outside, it was found that they could be ranged into two sub-groups. In one there is no external appearance of a thumb, and in the other there is a stunted projection, but in both the member is not quite deficient so far as its bones are concerned. In the first group the metacarpal bone (the bone which is in man covered by the ball of the thumb, and which extends from the wrist to the first joint) is just seen, but it does not project; and in the second group there is one phalanx or thumb-bone on the metacarpal, and this sticks out and is covered with skin so as to resemble a hard pimple. In one kind this little thumb has no nail, and in another there is one on it.

It is curious that some of the woolly-haired kinds of Ateles should have no thumbs and others their rudiments; and that this should be the case in the long and harsh-haired kinds also. There are many kinds of Ateles, and there is consequently some difficulty in recognising them as species and many attempts have been made to classify them, so that they might be readily distinguished. Those with short and thick thumbs have been called Brachyteles, and those without them Ateles; those with woolly fur have been termed Eriodes, but all are now included in the genus Ateles.

Everybody is interested in seeing the curious sprawling swinging of the Ateles in the Zoological Gardens, and also in noticing the curious way in which some can place their hand right over the head nearly on to the opposite shoulder, and brush the hair with it forwards, and especially because both kinds of movement refer to the great length of the fore-limbs. On the contrary, although they can maintain the erect posture for a short time, they seem feeble about the hind limbs, which are shorter than the others. Their heel-bones are evidently short, so that leaping is never well done.

They are fruit and vegetable eaters, and enjoy eggs, and a nut occasionally, but they have no cheek-pouches. They have, however, an air-pouch, or sac, in front of the throat, but none of the noise-making gifts of the Howlers, and this sac enters the windpipe differently to those of the Monkeys of the Old World, and this is very curious. It opens into the windpipe below the cartilage which forms the “Adam’s apple” in man, and not above and between it and the tongue. Below this cartilage, which is called the thyroid cartilage, there is another attached to it by which it joins on to the rings of the windpipe. The opening is between this lower cartilage, the cricoid,[83] and the top ring of the windpipe.

Their stomach is single, and the large intestine, as they are vegetarians, is large, and its termination the “cæcum” also, but it has no little worm-like appendage as in the Gibbons. No especial points have been noted in the muscular system, except the very curious fact that, although the bones of the thumb are so rudimentary, the muscles are all there except the one which principally bends it forward.

As the activity of the Spider Monkey is marvellous, as they swing on and catch hold of boughs with great skill and energy, and as they display much intelligence, their brains ought to be well developed. Doubtless there is a great deal of movement in these long-limbed creatures which takes place like the walking of man, i.e., without direct thought, for we move our leg muscles, and all those which assist them in the act of walking, without a constant direction of the will. Just as man’s walking is thus said to be done automatically, so much of the swinging and progression of the Ateles is produced without direct exertion of the will. But it is evident that the Spider Monkey judges his distance, and very often considers whether such and such a bough will bear his weight, and uses exactly sufficient muscular exertion for what he requires.

Moreover, there is a graceful co-ordination or mutual action of the muscles of the limbs, body, and tail to a common end in most of its movements which is evidently done by will. The movements of the tail are perfectly wonderful, and, indeed, so perfectly does it hold on, although the animal cannot see what this long slender organ is doing, that most children think there is an eye at the end of it. Directly the Spider Monkey rises on its hind legs, up goes the tail straight behind its back, and curves a little at the tip downwards: the delicate hairs stick out and feel the slightest touch or passage of air; and the least touch induces the last few joints to clasp hold. The animal will walk along and catch hold of things with its tail at every other step or so, and will change its hold in exact proportion to its rate of progression. All these movements necessitate clasping, unclasping, twisting, and a regular succession of efforts, and are not likely to be carried out except by an animal with a well-developed nervous system. Hence it has been a matter of some interest to compare the brain of Ateles with those of other Monkeys, and even with that of man.

Even in this Monkey, which is low in the scale on account of its having badly-developed thumbs, the structures of the brain greatly resemble those of the Monkeys of the Old World. The nerves are large in proportion to the substance of the brain, and the brain proper is narrow in front and hollowed out beneath, where it rests on the orbits. But these proofs of a low kind of intelligence and of great muscular power are accompanied by structures which mimic or sketch out those of the human brain in an extraordinary manner. The cerebellum, or little brain, is large, as it is the organ which has much to do with regulating and co-ordinating the movements of the muscles, but it is quite covered by the back part, or posterior lobes, of the brain. Inside the brain the cavities called the ventricles may be seen, and they are made on the human plan, for the cavity on each side (lateral ventricle) has a front part, a back part, and a deep one, and on its lower surface, or floor, certain roundings, which are called by odd names, such as the hippocampus minor and the hippocampus major. These are visible in the brain of Ateles as they are in man. Now, it is very remarkable, allowing for the difference in the size of the brain of most other Monkeys and of man, that the Spider Monkey should have larger posterior lobes to its brain than they have. Moreover, this unusual size produces a greater length of the back part (or horn, or cornu) of the lateral ventricle in Ateles. The difference, however, between the packing of the nervous substance of the brain in man and in the Spider Monkey is vast, for in this last there are few convolutions, but the principal are happily said by Huxley to sketch out the position of the most important in the human brain. The projection of the back part of the brain of the Spider Monkeys over the cerebellum is at least one-tenth of an inch. Hence there is much nervous matter in the back part of the brain, and this compensates for the narrowing and diminution of nervous matter in the front. Are the nerves, then, which give the Spider Monkey its wonderful power of activity and complicated movement, situated in the back part of the head? At present physiologists have not satisfactorily shown what are the offices of these back or occipital lobes of the brain; the rounded floor of the cavity in the brain, which goes by the absurd name of hippocampus, because it is curved like a “sea horse,” and which is well seen in Ateles, has much to do with the sensation of touch, and the nervous matter at the sides of the brain appears to be connected with the nerves of the muscles of the limbs. The Ateles lead a life of very great sameness in their forests, and their perceptions and intelligence are never greatly stimulated, hence the fore part of the brain is small.

THE COAITA.[84]

This is the Monkey of which an extraordinary story is told by Acosta. It belonged to the Governor of Carthagena, and was regularly sent to the tavern for wine. They who sent him put an empty pot in one hand, and the money into the other, whereupon he went “spidering,” as Broderip terms it, to the tavern, where they could by no means get his money from him till they had filled his pot with wine. As the ganymede of the Governor came back with his charge, certain idle children would occasionally meet him in the street, and cast stones at him, whereupon he would put down his pot, and cast stones at them, till he had assured his way; then would he return to carry home the pot. And what is more, although he was a good bibber of wine, yet would he never touch it till leave was given to him. It is about as true as the account of the habits of the genus given by a distinguished French author. He says that they live in greater or smaller troops in the forests; their food consists of insects, and they also eat little fishes, mollusks (shellfish), and other animal substances. When they are a little way from the coast they sometimes come down to the beach by the sea-side and collect such things as oysters, and they get at the inside by breaking the shells between stones. Most of the species live far away from such luxuries, and one and all are vegetarians, as a rule, and eat an insect or suck an egg or two as the exception.

The Coaita, or Quata, is large for an Ateles, and is covered with long, coarse hair, of a glossy black colour, the under part at the groin being without any. The hair of the head is directed forwards, and conceals the ears, which have no lobe, and the face is of a reddish flesh-colour. It is an intelligent animal, and shows much curiosity when anything new is seen in its vicinity. All the agility of the genus is to be witnessed in its climbing and swinging from tree to tree; and it has no thumbs. They live in Surinam and in the Brazils. Bates, when living on the Lower Amazon, saw much of this Monkey, or Coaita, as he properly terms it. He describes it as a large black Monkey, covered with coarse hair, and having the prominent parts of the face of a tawny, flesh-coloured hue. Moreover, he found that the natives esteemed its flesh very much, and the military commandant of the place used to send out a hunter every week to shoot one for his table. “One day,” writes this author, “I went out on a Coaita hunt, borrowing a negro slave of a friend to show me the way. On the road I was much amused by the conversation of my companion. He was a tall, handsome negro, about forty years of age, with a staid, courteous demeanour, and a deliberate manner of speaking. He told me he was a native of Congo, and the son of a great chief, or king. He narrated the events of a great battle between his father’s and some other tribe, in which he was taken prisoner, and sold to the Portuguese slave-dealers. When in the deepest part of a ravine we heard a rustling sound in the trees overhead, and Manuel soon pointed out a Coaita to me. There was something human-like in its appearance, as the lean, dark, shaggy creature moved deliberately amongst the branches, at a great height. I fired, but only, unfortunately, wounded it in the belly. It fell with a crash headlong about twenty or thirty feet, and then caught a branch with its tail, and remained suspended in mid air. Before I could reload it recovered itself, and scrambled nimbly to the topmost branches, out of the reach of a fowling-piece, and we could perceive the poor thing apparently probing the wound with its fingers.” He states that “Coaitas are more frequently kept in a tame state than any other Monkey. The Indians are fond of them as pets, and the women often suckle them when young at their breasts! They become attached to their masters, and will sometimes follow them to a considerable distance. I once saw a ridiculously tame Coaita. It was an old female, and had accompanied its owner--a trader on the river--on all his voyages. By way of giving me a specimen of its intelligence and feeling, its master set to and rated it soundly, calling it scamp, heathen, thief, and so forth, all through the vocabulary of Portuguese vituperation. The poor Monkey, seated on the ground, seemed to be in sore trouble at this display of anger. It began by looking earnestly at him, then it whined, and lastly rocked its body to and fro with emotion, crying piteously, and passing its long, gaunt arms continually over its forehead, for this was its habit when excited, and the front of the head was worn quite bald in consequence. At last her master altered his tone--‘It’s all a lie, my old woman, you’re an angel, a flower, a good, affectionate old creature,’ and so forth. Immediately the poor Monkey ceased its wailing, and soon after came over to where the man sat.” The disposition of the Coaita is mild in the extreme. It has none of the painful restless vivacity of the Cebus, and no trace of the surly, untamable temper of the Howlers. Bates says it is an arrant thief, and that it shows considerable cunning in pilfering small articles of clothing, which it conceals in its sleeping-place. The natives of the Upper Amazon procure the Coaita when full grown by shooting it with the blow-pipe and poisoned darts, and restoring life by putting a little salt (the antidote to the poison with which the darts are tipped) in its mouth. The animals thus caught become tame forthwith. Two females were once kept at the Jardin des Plantes, in Paris, and Geoffroy St. Hilaire says they rarely quitted each other, remaining most part of the time in close embrace, folding their tails round each other’s bodies; they took their meals together, and never squabbled over their favourite fruit.

The same traveller when once very hard up for food was obliged to kill a white-whiskered Coaita, and cook it. He writes:--“I thought the meat the best flavoured I had ever tasted. It resembled beef, but had a richer and sweeter taste. We smoke-dried the joints, and the last one was an arm with the clenched fist. This I used with great frugality, hanging it between meals on a nail in the cabin, and nothing but the hardest necessity could have driven me to an act so closely resembling cannibalism.”

THE CHAMECK, OR TSCHAKMECK.[85]

An old author, Von Sack, in his voyage to Guinea, gives the following account of the manners of this Spider Monkey:--“It is of a very docile disposition, and capable of being quite domesticated. I have seen a pair of them at a gentleman’s house at Paramaribo, which were left quite at liberty. When the female negroes were employed at their needlework, they used to come and sit amongst them and play with pieces of paper, and afterwards go and gambol amongst the trees, but never went over to the neighbouring gardens. They well knew the hour of dinner of their master, when they would come to the gallery, look in at the windows, though without attempting to enter into the room, being aware that this was a liberty which was not allowed them; they therefore patiently waited for their dinner outside.”

The Latin name of this species refers to its having hardly five fingers. It has four and a short stump of a thumb, visible and useless, but consisting of two bones, the usual muscles, and the skin covering. It is larger than the Coaita, and is black, and covered with long hair, but the face is brown. The tail is considerably longer than the body.

THE BLACK SPIDER MONKEY.

This Spider Monkey is more interesting for its geographical range and favourite localities than for anything else. It lives in Central America, north of Panama, and is common in the neighbourhood of the volcano called Orizaba, in the state of Vera Cruz. It lives in companies in the deep barrancas, up to an elevation of two thousand feet above the sea, and in the State of Oaxaca it roams in the forests up the country to a height of four thousand feet, being the same elevation to which the Tapir often reaches in its roaming. It is a black Ateles, with very long hair, which spreads out in all directions, but there is grey-white on the inside of the limbs, and underneath. It has no thumbs on the hands.

The position which the Ateles take in resting is often very curious. The great Apes of the Old World can lie on their backs like a man, and the Monkeys with callosities sit on them, and, drawing up the knees, let the head fall on to them, or on to the breast, bringing the arms forward when they sleep. But the want of callosities, and of the peculiar flatness of back which characterises the Anthropomorpha, prevents the American Monkeys from adopting either of these positions. Many lie on their sides, and others huddle up in parties, but the Ateles often lie across two or three rope-like horizontal stems, with the face looking downwards, a turn being taken by the tail round the support to insure safety. The length of the back has something to do with this, and of course with their extraordinary agility. The dorsal region of the back-bone, or that which bears ribs, is as long in comparison with the other (neck and loin) regions as in any Monkey; indeed, the maximum of length is attained. There are either thirteen or fourteen back-bone pieces (vertebræ), which have ribs attached to them. The lower vertebræ are four or five in number, and the tail is at its maximum of length in relation to that of the body, its pieces (caudal vertebræ) being very complicated near its root. There, eight pieces (vertebræ) are so like those of the back that they have spines, cross processes, of course without ribs, jointing processes, and a similar nervous canal to those which are higher up in the body. The spinal marrow does not go down it, however. Underneath them are the V-shaped or chevron bones. The end bones are short and thick.

THE VARIEGATED SPIDER MONKEY.[86]

These Monkeys appear to go in small parties, passing through the forests at a rapid pace, feeding on different kinds of berries. The berries which Mr. Bartlett found in their stomachs resembled a gooseberry with a large stone inside. Owing to their great length of limb and tail, and to their muscular vigour, these Spider Monkeys travel far and wide. They are found on both sides of the Peruvian Amazon (or Marañon), and on both sides of the Huallaga. They are also common on the Rio Tigri, and range along the lower spurs of the Andes, across Ecuador and Columbia, over the head waters of the Rio Napa, Rio Japura, and Rio Negro, where it was first discovered. They have also been found in Venezuela. Bartlett endeavoured to hunt them on the Rio Tigri, a small tributary that runs into the Amazon about four miles above the town of Nanta, on the north-western shores of the Peruvian Amazon, but was prevented by the fever and ague of the climate, and the fears of the Indians. Going into the mountains up the Marañon River, he heard from the Indians of the presence of a long-armed Ape--called in their language Maciosuppeh--at the distance of three days’ journey. He engaged three Indians, started by way of a forest footpath that had been opened by a Catholic priest, to the town of Moyahamba, as part of his penitence. He writes:--“At the end of three days I reached the highest point of the mountains; here we came across a number of the Monkeys in question--about eight or nine. I shot the male that is now in the British Museum, and my Indians brought down another with a poison-dart. Having obtained two of them I was satisfied that I had found a new species. While, however, I was busily engaged preparing the first specimen, my Indians had quietly placed the other on the fire; and, to my great horror and disgust, they had singed the hair off, and thus spoiled the specimen. Of course I was obliged to keep the peace, for they had not tasted meat for some days, and the Monkey proved a very dainty dish.”

THE HOODED SPIDER MONKEY.[87]

Probably one of the most extraordinary-looking creatures in the world is Ateles cucullatus (Gray). This very spidery-looking Monkey has a very curious head of hair, which looks as if it sadly required cutting, for it comes over the forehead, and forms a regular hood, which expands over the eyebrows. Everywhere the fur is long and flaccid, and of a blackish silvery-grey colour. The face is reddish, the cheeks and lower jaw being nearly bare of hair; the skin, however, is of a black shade. The skin around the orbits and upon the nose is bare, and of a brownish flesh-colour. The body is about fourteen inches, and the tail twenty-seven inches in length. The tail is stout near the body, and becomes very slim towards the end, the greater part of it, especially the under surface, being extremely hairy. The length of the hind feet, the long scraggy limbs, the spare, long body, and its great agility, give the Monkey a most extraordinary appearance. Probably it comes from the northern coast of Columbia.

There are many species of Ateles, and they range on the Pacific side of Guatemala, on the west side of the Andes, and in the forests watered by the great rivers.

THE SAJOUS, OR CAPUCHINS.[88]

If attention has been paid to these descriptions of the groups of American Monkeys already dealt with, it will have been evident that they can readily be distinguished one from another. Thus, the Lagothrix has a round head without a beard, a prehensile tail, with the hair off it underneath, not far from the tip, and its thumbs are large; the Spider Monkeys, or Ateles, have small heads, the same kind of tail, and their thumbs are either defective or wanting altogether; and the Mycetes, or Howlers, have high heads and beards, thumbs, the same kind of tail, and the howling apparatus in perfection. Now, the next (and last) genus of prehensile-tailed Monkeys differs from all these in not having the naked spot on the under side of the tail, in having a thicker tail, and a gentle whistling voice. These are the little “masters of the woods,” according to Azara, and should be called “Cai” (the “C” is soft), which has been altered to Sajou by the extraordinary talent which the French have of confounding spelling and sounds in other languages. Buffon divides the Monkeys noticed above into the Sapajous and the Sagoins, the larger kinds belonging to the first, and those about to be noticed to the last. He modified, he says, the words Cayonason and Cagoni, their C being pronounced as S. But Azara says that the real words are Caigonazon and Cai, they being pronounced as written, and the first means Great Cai, and the last Cai, or Cay, simply Monkey. Sajous is a derivation from Cagoni, and animals properly included by it constitute the genus Cebus, but to add to the confusion, Mr. Wallace calls them “Sapajous.”

They are the small, active, red-faced, round-headed, long-tailed American Monkeys, which curl the end of the tail downwards, and yet use it to hold on by. They are smaller and more delicate than those already described; their teeth are smaller, and they have not large canines like the Mycetes. Vrolik, in noticing the gentle expression of their face, says their movements are graceful and gay, and their “manners a mixture of sweetness, cleverness, agility, and lubricity!”

There is abundant proof to be obtained of their agility and intelligence, and, unfortunately for them, their gifts are valuable in the eyes of Monkey-trainers, and many a little pug, dressed up as a Highlander or soldier, who does tricks in the streets for the benefit of his master, once had a gay life of “lubricity” in the virgin forests of the Amazon.

Bates, in his interesting work, “The Naturalist on the Amazon,” refers especially to the following species--

THE CAIARÁRA.[89]

This (according to this author and admirable observer) is the light-brown Caiarára, and it is pretty generally distributed over the forests of the level country. He saw it frequently on the borders of the Upper Amazon, where it was always a treat to watch a flock leaping amongst the trees, for it is the most wonderful performer in this line of the whole tribe. The troops consist of thirty or more individuals, which travel in single file. When the foremost of the flock reaches the outermost branch of an unusually lofty tree, he springs forth into the air without a moment’s hesitation, and alights on the dome of yielding foliage belonging to the neighbouring tree--may be, fifty feet beneath--all the rest following the example. They grasp in falling with hands and tail, right themselves in a moment, and then away they go along branch and bough to the next tree. It owes its native name to the disproportionate size of the head to the body. It is very often kept as a pet in the houses of the natives, and Mr. Bates kept one for a year, and he thus writes about it:--“It accompanied me in my voyages, and became very familiar, coming to me always on wet nights to share my blanket.” It is a most restless creature, but is not playful like most of the American Monkeys, the restlessness of its disposition seeming to arise from great nervous irritability and discontent. Its actions are those of a wayward child. It does not seem to be happy even when it has enough of its favourite food--bananas; but will leave its own meal to snatch the morsels out of the hands of its companions. It differs in these morbid traits from its nearest kindred, for another Cebus found in the same parts of the forest--the Prego Monkey--is a much quieter and better-tempered animal. It is full of tricks, but they are generally of a playful character.

The Caiarára keeps the house in a perpetual uproar where it is kept. When alarmed or hungry, or excited by envy, it screams piteously, and it is always making some noise or other, often screwing up its mouth, and uttering a succession of loud notes resembling a whistle. Mr. Bates’s little pet used to run after him, supporting himself for some distance on his hind legs, without, however, having been taught to do so. The end of this friendship came at last, and in a tragical manner. “He offended me greatly one day by killing, in one of his jealous fits, another and much choicer pet--the Nocturnal Owl-like Monkey (Nyctipithecus trivirgatus). Some one had given this a fruit which the other coveted, so the two got to quarreling. The Nyctipithecus fought only with its paws, clawing out, and hissing like a Cat. The other soon obtained the mastery, and before I could interfere, finished its rival by cracking its skull with his teeth. I then got rid of him.”

Broderip writes about one as follows:--“Humboldt saw at Maypures one of these Monkeys riding a Pig. He used to bide his time, and every morning caught one, which he compelled to perform the part of the horse. Seated on pig-back did he majestically ride about the whole day, clinging to his bristly steed as firmly as ever the Old Man of the Sea clung to Sindbad, not even giving poor piggy a respite at meal times, but continually bestriding him all the time he was feeding in the savannah that surrounded the Indian huts. A missionary had another of these riders, but the missionary’s Monkey laid a strong hold on a comfortable Cat which had been brought up with him, carried him well, and bore all his tricks with patience and good humour.”

The skull is long, and uniformly round in these animals, and the face is not very prominent. There are two nasal bones, and the inter-maxillary bone is distinct; moreover, the chin is rounded and receding. With all its powers of teasing, fun, and its intelligence, one would anticipate that the brain would be far superior in its form to the Spider and other Monkeys with prehensile tails; and this is the case, for the convolutions on the outside are almost equal in their number and relative size to those of the Monkeys of the Old World.

There are eighteen kinds of these Capuchins, and the attempt has been made to classify them by the direction of the hair of the head and its colour, but in doing this sufficient allowance has not been made for the influence of sex, age, and the bodily vigour, so that great confusion still exists in their classification.

THE BROWN CAPUCHIN.[90]

In this species the hairs of the head are brushed back, but it appears that with age some hairs are erected at the sides of the head above the ears into two horns, so as to give it the name of the Horned Monkey.

THE WEEPER CAPUCHIN, OR CAI.[91]

This is known by the black top to its head, and it is small, and brown in colour elsewhere, the face and throat being greyish-yellow.

Brehm gives the following notes about their habits:--“This Monkey is common from Bahia to Colombia, and it chooses wooded country where there is no underwood. The greater part of its life is spent on trees, and it only leaves them to drink, or to visit a field of maize. In the day he wanders from tree to tree, looking for food; in the night sleeps on the branches of some tree. Generally one sees him in small families of six or ten, of whom the most part are females. It is difficult to observe the animal, because he is so timid and shy. Rengger asserts that he is seldom to be seen. Once he noticed a pleasant whistling noise, and he saw an old male looking timidly around on the highest tree-tops, and then approach. About twelve or thirteen others followed him, of both sexes, and three females carried a little one partly on the back, partly under one arm. Suddenly one of these animals saw an orange-tree with ripe fruit, gave a cry, and sprang up the tree. In a few seconds the whole company were assembled there, and were engaged in picking and eating the ripe fruit. Some began immediately to eat, others sprang, loaded with a couple of fruit, to a neighbouring tree, whose stronger branches provided them with a table. They sat themselves down on a branch, encircled it with their tails, then took an orange between their hind legs, and tried with these to loosen the peel at the top with their fingers. If they did not succeed immediately, they flung the fruit, grumbling and snarling, several times against a tree, by which the rind was broken. Not one tried to peel the orange with their teeth, probably because they were aware of its bitter taste. As soon, however, as a small opening was made, they quickly pulled a piece off, eagerly licked up the juice, not only what was on the fruit, but also what was on their hands and arms, and then ate the pulp. The tree was soon bare, and then the stronger ones tried to rob the weaker, both making the most peculiar grimaces, gnashed with their teeth, tore each other’s hairs, and pulled each other roughly about. Others carefully searched the dead branches, lifted up the dry bark, and ate the insects lying underneath. When they were satisfied, they laid themselves along a branch, in the same manner as the Howlers, to sleep. The young ones, however, began to play, and thereby showed themselves to be very agile. They swung themselves by their tails, or climbed up them as if by a rope. The mothers had great trouble with their young, who wished for the luscious fruit. At first they gently pushed their young aside, but afterwards showed their impatience by grunting; then they seized the disobedient child by the head, and threw it roughly on its back. As soon, however, as they were satisfied, they gently drew the young ones forward, and laid them at their breasts. The mother’s love shows itself by the great care with which every old one handles her young, through laying them on the breast, by watching them, by searching their fur, and by the attacks on others who come near. The motions of the young one were neither light nor graceful, but awkward and ungainly. Another time Rengger came upon a family who were about to make an attack upon a maize-field. They climbed softly down from a tree, looked carefully around, broke two or three heads of fruit off, and returned as quickly as possible to the wood, there to devour their booty. As Rengger showed himself the whole troop fled, with shrill cries, through the tree-tops. Every one, however, took at least a head of fruit away with him. Rengger now shot one of these, and saw a female fall with her young one through the branches. He thought he should be able to catch her soon, but, though dying, she caught herself by her tail, and kept him waiting for quite a quarter of an hour. The young one had not left its mother, but rather clung faster to her, though showing signs of fear. After she was dead, and it was taken away, the little thing called in plaintive tones to its mother, and crept near to her as soon as it was let loose. After some hours, however, the coldness of the body seemed to frighten the young one, and it willingly stayed in its captor’s breast pocket. Our informant says that in the family of the Cai, the number of females exceeds the number of males. In January the female gives birth to a young one, and keeps it at her breast for the first week, but later on carries it on her back. The mother never leaves her young, not even when she is wounded. Rengger, however, observed that a female, whose arm had been broken by a bullet, tore her young one from her breast, and set it on a branch; but this most likely was to shield the young one from danger rather than to relieve herself of its weight.

“The young Cai is often caught, and tamed. When older they cannot bear restraint; they become mopish, refuse their food, never grow tame, and die in a few weeks. The young one, on the other hand, soon forgets its freedom, becomes attached to people, and partakes, as do many other Monkeys, of their food and drink. They walk on their hind legs for three or four steps, but they are trained to walk upright by tying the hands behind the back. At first they fall frequently, and must therefore be held by a cord from behind. When sleeping they curl themselves up, and cover the face with the arms and tail. They sleep in the night, and when it is very hot, in the middle of the day. At other times they are in constant motion.

“Among the senses of the animal the sense of feeling is the most acute. It is short-sighted, and cannot see at all by night. It does not hear well, for it can be easily surprised. It holds everything that has smell to its nose, and it is often deluded by the smell into tasting what its taste tells it is not fit to eat. The sense of feeling makes up in some measure for the others. It shows itself chiefly in the front hands, less in the hinder, and not at all in the tail. Through practice and teaching this faculty can be greatly cultivated.

“Rengger’s Cai knew his master in the darkest night, as soon as he had felt his usual clothing. The cry of the Cai changes according to its emotions. One generally hears a whistling sound, which seems to proceed from weariness. If he demands anything he groans; wonder or embarrassment he shows by a half whistling tone; when angry he cries in a deep, rough tone--‘Hu! hu!’ When in fear he shrieks; when pleased he chuckles. By these cries the leader of a troop shares his feelings with the others. These they show also, not only by noises and motions, but also by a kind of laughing and crying. The former is the drawing back of the corners of the mouth; but he utters no sound. When crying his eyes fill with tears, which, however, never flow down his cheeks. The Cai is very sensitive to cold and damp, and must be kept from them if he is wanted to keep well. This is easy, as he gladly rolls himself up in a blanket. They live about fifteen years.

“The intelligence of the Cai is worthy of notice. He learns in the first few days of his captivity to know his master and his keepers, and looks to them for food, warmth, protection, and help; trusts them fully, is pleased when his keeper plays with him, lets himself be teased by him, and after not having seen him for some time shows the greatest pleasure on his reappearance. He also soon forgets his freedom, and becomes almost wholly a domestic animal. An old male which Rengger had got loose once from his cord, and ran away into the wood, but returned again in two or three days, sought out his keeper, and allowed himself to be tied up. Those who are not badly treated show great fidelity, especially to the blacks, whom they like always better than the whites. The Cai is not only fond of men, but also of animals, and it is no uncommon thing in Paraguay to bring him up with a young Dog, who serves as a horse for him.

“The animal is very sensible, and does not give in to the will of man. One can keep him from doing anything, but cannot force him to do it. On the contrary, he tries to make others bend to his will, and also men, sometimes by caresses, sometimes by threats. Weaker animals must follow his will. This does great harm to his learning. He will only learn those things which he can make use of, such as opening boxes, looking through his master’s pockets, &c. As he grows older he gains experience, and knows how to use it. If one gives him an egg for the first time, he breaks it so clumsily that he loses half the contents, but the second time he only breaks the top, and lets no more be lost. He is not often taken in twice by anybody. He soon learns to know the expression of the face, and the tone of the voice.

“The Cai is also very prone to stealing eatables. If caught in the act he cries out with fear before he is touched, but if he is not caught then he pretends to be perfectly innocent, and looks as if nothing had happened. Small articles he hides, when disturbed, in his mouth, and eats them at his leisure. His covetousness is great. What he once gets is not so easily taken away, at the most, by his master, when he likes him very much. His covetousness is made use of to capture him. The niggers clean out a pumpkin through a small hole, and then slip pieces of sugar, &c., inside. They see this, and thrust their arm in, and while so engaged will rather be caught than relinquish their spoil. Besides these qualities, they show curiosity and destructiveness to a great extent.

“They are fond of teasing, and pull the tails of Dogs and Cats, snatch the feathers out of Hens and Ducks, and even tease Horses which are tied up close to them; they also pull their bridles, and are all the more pleased the more worried or frightened the animal becomes.

“Only the Indians make use of the skin, and therefore hunt the Cai down with bow and arrow. The whites prize him most highly in captivity.”

Some of these little Monkeys really appear to reason, and are very clever. Rengger states that when he first gave eggs to his Monkeys they smashed them, and thus lost much of their contents; afterwards they gently hit one end against some hard body, and picked off the bits of shell with their fingers. After cutting themselves only once with a sharp tool they would not touch it again, or would handle it with the greatest care. Lumps of sugar were often given them wrapped up in paper, and Rengger sometimes put a live wasp in the paper, so that in hastily unfolding it they got stung. After this had happened once they always first held the packet to their ears, to detect any movement within.

This breaking of the egg in a proper manner is as interesting as two well-known facts, one of which may be observed by anybody in the habits of American and other Monkeys. Sometimes a little Monkey has a nut given him, and he is not strong enough to crack it. He will look up into your face with a meaning glimmer of his eyes, and hand you the nut again. Crack it for him, and he receives it as a matter of course. Formerly one of the large Monkeys in the Zoological Gardens had weak teeth, and he used to break open the nuts with a stone, and Mr. Darwin was assured by the keepers that this animal, after using the stone, hid it in the straw, and would not let any other Monkey touch it.

Rengger taught one to open palm-nuts by breaking them with a stone, and so satisfied was it with its performance, that it soon began to experiment on other kinds of nuts, and then it began upon boxes. It also crushed off with blows of a stone the soft rind of a fruit that had a disagreeable flavour, in order to get at the luscious food within.

Some interesting observations were male by Rengger in Paraguay on the diseases of these Monkeys in their natural state. One kind of Cebus was found liable to what we call “colds,” or, medically speaking, catarrh. It had all the usual symptoms; was uncomfortable evidently for a while, had a stuffiness in the head, and then its nose ran like that of a child. If the colds occurred over and over again the same result took place as happens in man, for symptoms of consumption came on, and death ensued. Moreover, these same Monkeys suffered from apoplexy, inflammation of the bowels, and even from cataract in the eye. Even the tiny ones suffered like human babies in cutting their second set--or rather in shedding their milk, or first set--of teeth. They became feverish, and often died with the symptoms of fever on them.

The same author saw a Capuchin Monkey taking great and affectionate care of its infant. The flies were teasing it, and the mother drove them away as sedulously as possible. When in its native woods the Cebus Azaræ utters at least six distinct sounds when it is excited, and these seem to produce corresponding feelings in the Monkeys which are listening.

The Capuchins range from Costa Rica to Paraguay.

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Chapter XI

THE CEBIDÆ (concluded)--THE SQUIRREL MONKEYS--DOUROUCOULIS--SAKIS.

General Description of the Second Division of Cebidæ--Without Prehensile Tails--THE SQUIRREL MONKEYS--Described by Buffon and Humboldt--Peculiarities of the Species--Anecdotes by Le Vaillant--A Tragic End--THE WIDOW MONKEY--Origin of the Name--THE ONAPPO--Its Nocturnal Habits and Peculiar Cry--THE DOUROUCOULIS, OR OWL MONKEYS--General Description of the Family--Peculiar Formation of the Arm-bone--THE THREE-STRIPED OWL MONKEY--Described by Humboldt and Bates--THE RED-FOOTED DOUROUCOULI--THE SAKIS--Remarkable Resemblance in the Face to Man--Structural Peculiarities--THE COUXIO--THE PARAUACÚ--THE MONK--Description of the Brain--Other Varieties of the Sakis--Anecdotes of them--THE BLACK-HEADED SAKIS--General Description.

None of 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.

GENUS CALLITHRIX[92]--THE SAIMARIS.

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 tooth being 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.

THE SQUIRREL MONKEY.[93]

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 in Dutch 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 WIDOW MONKEY.[95]

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.

THE ONAPPO.[96]

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. Doubtless many 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.

GENUS NYCTIPITHECUS--THE DOUROUCOULIS--THE OWL MONKEYS.

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.

THE THREE-STRIPED OWL MONKEY.[97]

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.

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. trivirgatus was 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 the N. trivirgatus for 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 of the 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.”

THE RED-FOOTED DOUROUCOULI.[98]

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.

THE SAKIS.[100]

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 called Pithecia 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 genus Pithecia. 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:--

THE COUXIO.[101]

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.”

THE PARAUACÚ--THE HAIRY SAKI.[102]

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 of Pithecia 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.”

THE MONK.[103]

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.

THE SCARLET-FACED, OR WHITE-SKINNED SAKI. THE UAKARI, AND THE BALD-HEADED BRACHYURE, OR SAKI.[104]

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, and reddish-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.

“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, and catch 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.“

THE BLACK-HEADED SAKI.[105]

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.

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XII. THE MARMOSETS AND TAMARINS.[107]

The Dentition of the Genus Hapale, or the Marmosets, or Ouistitis--The Face--The Paw-like Hands and Feet--Their Claws--The Skull and Brain, and the Nature of the Diet--THE COMMON MARMOSET--Its Habits--THE CLOAKED MARMOSET--THE GENUS MIDAS--THE TAMARINS--Their Dentition--THE NEGRO TAMARIN--Its Habits--MIDAS ARGENTATUM--DEVILLE’S MIDAS--THE SILKY TAMARIN--Notes on the Arctopithecini in general.

The second division of the Monkeys of the New World is characterised by there bring thirty-two teeth, and the tail is not prehensile. It is generally termed that of the Marmosets, or in scientific language, the Arctopithecini, a word which means Bear-Monkey. There are two genera in this division: the first is that of the Marmosets proper, or genus Hapale; and the second is that of the Tamarins, or genus Midas.

THE MARMOSETS, OR OUISTITIS.[108]

In this genus the thirty-two teeth are so arranged that instead of there being three back teeth, or true molars, on the side of each jaw, they have only two. But there are false molars placed in front of these two crushing molars, and this has a direct relation to the insectivorous diet of the animal. The outer edge of these false molars has one sharp point, admirably adapted to pierce a hard-coated Beetle, or to smash up a grub. The incisor, or front teeth, differ in the two genera. They are long (especially the lower ones), narrow, and are curved outwards, and they stick out forwards from the jaw in the genus Hapale. Those of the Tamarins are short and broad, the lower ones being stuck out and close together. The lower canine teeth of the Hapale, or Ouistitis, are very small, and those of the other genus are larger.

The face of the Marmoset is short, and the broad division between the nostrils, which open widely apart and outwards, is very evident. Very remarkable are the feet, for in these Monkeys the toe-thumb is not widely separated from the other digits, but is close to and parallel with them, so that they resemble the human foot more than the human hand. The insectivorous and carnivorous propensities of these little creatures are shown in the form of their nails, which are claws. They are curved, compressed from side to side, and sharp, except that of the great toe, which is broad. In the hand the thumb is not capable of being separated widely from the other fingers, and it has a sharp claw on it, so the resemblance to a true hand is small, and the likeness to a “paw” is great; and to conclude this part of the subject, the soles are much longer than the toes. Hence, with paws and long feet with claws, these little creatures, which have been termed Hapale--from ἁπαλός (soft, gentle)--are not unlike Bears in their extremities, and have been called Bear-Monkeys, or Arctopithecini. The intelligence of these Monkeys is certainly not very great, hence the examination of their brain is sure to be interesting, for one would expect that it could not be like that of the intelligent Cebus, or even that of the Spider Monkey. The mouth appears to be large, and it really has a wide gape.

First, then, the skull is remarkable for the relative size of the brain-case, and the back part projects far behind. The outside of the skull is smooth and rounded, and the brow-ridges are very slight, the orbits being large. Inside, and accommodating itself to this long head, is a very long brain, whose back part projects past the cerebellum. But this is not all the unusual part of it, for instead of there being convolutions, or packings-in of the surface of the brain, it is almost smooth, the great fissures being alone marked. Here, then, is the lowest form of brain yet noticed in the Quadrumana, and it approaches to the form seen in the lower animals. What the great back part of the brain-case means is hardly yet known, but if it refers to the affections it will render the story told by Broderip all the more valuable. He says that a lady kept two of these Marmosets, and that she was impressed with their great affection for each other. “They had no family, but they were very happy, and were all in all to each other. One of them unfortunately died. The other seemed to be unwilling to believe the change that had taken place, and continued to caress the body, until it became absolutely necessary to remove it. Everything was done to console the widow that its fond and distressed mistress could think of, but as soon as its mate was taken away the poor widowed creature pressed its little hands to its eyes, refused to be comforted, and remained pining in that attitude till death relieved it of its sufferings.”

The teeth and claws indicate a carnivorous or insectivorous diet in these Monkeys, and the brain does not deny it, and many anecdotes may be told of their love of something alive. Every one may see the Marmosets at the Zoological Gardens making usually very successful dashes at flies with their fingers, and enjoying their tiny prey; and there is little doubt that the following story is true:--One of them, which was kept by the “Sage Femme” of the Royal Family about a hundred years since, took a great fancy to fish, and made a dash at a Goldfish he saw swimming round and round in its globe. He caught it, and ate it, so the lady observing his fondness for something lively gave him an Eel, and as the little Monkey was not more than eight or nine inches in length without his tail, this lively gift frightened him at first by twisting round his body and neck; but he soon killed it, and enjoyed the treat.

THE COMMON MARMOSET.[109]

These little, gentle, pretty creatures, usually so readily tamed, are made great pets of, and attract much attention in all collections of animals, and one kind has been often brought from the tropical woods of the Brazils and kept in England, so that its habits during captivity have been watched from birth until death in adult age. Many years since F. Cuvier had some of the common Marmosets born whilst under his care, and he watched them and their parents well. The young ones had their eyes open on coming into the world, and their skins were covered with very smooth hair of a deep grey colour, but which was scarcely perceptible on the tail. They instantly crept into their mother’s nice warm fur, and clung on with their little hands and feet, and they attracted the intense admiration and curiosity of the father and mother, who were in the same cage. There were three little ones, and the mother indeed did not know what to do with them. Broderip suggests that what followed was because the lady Ouistiti had no experienced female friend to direct her in her first confinement. At any rate, the mother seized the first by the head, and proceeded to bite this important part of the body off, and, luckily for the other two, whilst she was thus finishing off her offspring, they managed to get to her breasts, and to begin to suck. From that moment she bestowed upon them the natural attention of a parent, and became all affection. The father was even more affectionate than the mother, and assisted most assiduously in the nursing department. The favourite position of the young ones was upon the back and bosom of the mother, and when she was tired of nursing she would come up to her mate with a shrill cry, which Broderip writes said as plainly as any one could speak, “Here, do take the children!” He immediately stretched forth his hands, and placed the little ones on his back, or under his body, where they held on whilst he carried them about, and amused them. At last they used to get hungry, and whined for their mother, who took them, and after having nursed them returned them to their “papa.” In fact, the father did all the hard work, and the mother merely fed them. In this instance this domestic happiness was cut short, for the mother was weakly, no wet-nurse was to be had, and the little ones sank and died. In their native state they lead an arboreal life, and assemble in groups of six or seven, climbing up the tallest trees, and jumping from bough to bough, showing the greatest activity, like and greater than that of Squirrels. So rapidly do they move from branch to branch, and from tree to tree, that the eye fails to follow them readily. They are recognised at once by their long tuft of whitish hair, which sticks out from the side of the head, and almost hides the ears. The size of the whole animal is about that of a small Squirrel, and the tail is very long, bushy, and prettily marked with alternate rings of ash-colour and of black fur. The head is small, the eyes are gentle-looking, and the nose is flat, the face being black. The fur of the body is darkish brown, with different shades of colour for each hair, which is dusky at its root, reddish in the middle, and grey at the tip. There are very different stories told regarding their intelligence and affection. Some naturalists assert that they are incapable of affection towards man, even to the hand that feeds them. Swainson says “it mistrusts all, and treats as indifferently those whom one would think it well knew and those who are strangers; neither does it show much intelligence, although it is attentive, and suspicious of everything that is passing. When under the influence of fear it strives to conceal itself, uttering a short but piercing cry; at other times it hisses.” The name Ouistiti has been given to this Monkey, and the Portuguese of the Amazon districts called it the Sanglain, whilst Europeans term it a Marmoset.

THE CLOAKED MARMOSET.[110]

The word “humerale” is to be translated a part of the harness on the shoulders, or a graduate’s cloak, according to an old Latin dictionary, and thus far a fit name has been given to a little Monkey thus noticed by Mr. Bates in his work on the Amazons:--

“I saw in the woods on one occasion a small flock of Monkeys. They belonged to a very pretty and rare species, a kind of Marmoset, I think the Hapale humeralifer described by Geoffroy St. Hilaire. I did not succeed in obtaining a specimen, but saw a living example afterwards in the possession of a shopkeeper, at Santarem. It seems to occur nowhere else except in the dry woods bordering the campos in the interior parts of Brazil. The colours of its fur are beautifully varied; the fore part of the body is white, with the hands grey; the hind part black, with the rump and underside deadish-tawny; the tail is banded with grey and black. Its face is partly naked, and flesh-coloured, and the ears are fringed with long hairs. The specimen was not more than eight inches in length, exclusive of the tail. Altogether I thought it the prettiest species of its family I had yet seen. One would mistake it at first sight for a kitten, from its small size, varied colours, and the softness of its fur. It was a most timid creature, screaming and biting when any one attempted to handle it. It became familiar, however, with the people of the house a few days after it came into their possession. When hungry or uneasy it uttered a weak, querulous cry, a shrill note, which was sometimes prolonged so as to resemble the stridulation of a Grasshopper.”

THE TAMARINS.[111]

The Tamarins have the upper front teeth placed close together; and the lower, which are broad and truncated, project forwards. The lower canines are longer and larger than in the Marmosets. Living in the forests of the Isthmus of Panama, Peru, and of the Brazils, they sometimes collect in troops. They are very restless, active, and probably indulge in a very mixed diet of fruit, eggs, insects, and small birds. The smaller they are the more violent are they in their gesticulations and rage. They appear, when annoyed, bristling up their hair in a very fierce manner. They are, however, easily tamed, and are made great pets of by the natives.

THE NEGRO TAMARIN.[112]

Bates gives some interesting details regarding the little Midas, or Tamarin Monkeys, which he saw during his long residence on the Amazons. He writes:--

“They are small in size, and more like Squirrels than true Monkeys in their manner of climbing. The nails, except those of the hind thumbs, are long and claw-shaped, like those of Squirrels, and the thumbs of the fore extremities, or hands, are not opposable to the other fingers. I do not mean to convey that they have a near relationship to Squirrels, which belong to the Rodents, an inferior order of Mammals; their resemblance to those animals is merely a superficial one. The body is long and slender, clothed with soft hair, and the tail, which is nearly twice the length of the trunk, is not prehensile. The hind limbs are much larger in volume than the anterior pair. The Midas ursulus is never seen in large flocks; three or four is the greatest number observed together. It seems to be less afraid of the neighbourhood of man than any other Monkey. I sometimes saw it in the woods which border the suburban streets, and once I espied two individuals in a thicket behind the English Consul’s house at Nazareth. Its mode of progression along the main boughs of the lofty trees is like that of the Squirrels; it does not ascend to the slender branches, or take wonderful flying leaps like those Monkeys whose prehensile tails and flexible hands fit them for such headlong travelling. It confines itself to the larger boughs and trunks of trees, the long nails being of great assistance to the creature, enabling it to cling securely to the bark, and it is often seen passing rapidly round the perpendicular cylindrical trunks. It is a quick, restless, timid little creature, and has a great share of curiosity, for when a person passes by under the trees along which a flock is running, they always stop for a few moments to have a stare at the intruder. In Para, the Ursulus is often seen in a tame state in the houses of the inhabitants. When full grown it is about nine inches long, independently of the tail, which measures fifteen inches. The fur is thick, and black in colour, with the exception of a reddish-brown streak down the middle of the back. When first taken, or when kept tied up, it is very timid and irritable. It will not allow itself to be approached, but keeps retreating backwards in a querulous humour, uttering a twittering, complaining noise, its dark, watchful eyes, expressive of distrust, observant of every movement which takes place near it. When treated kindly, however, as it generally is in the houses of the natives, it becomes very tame and familiar. I once saw one as playful as a kitten, running about the house after the negro children, who fondled it to their hearts’ content. It acted somewhat differently towards strangers, and seemed not to like them to sit on the hammock which was slung in the room, leaping up, trying to bite, and otherwise annoying them. It is generally fed on sweet fruits, such as the banana, but it is also fond of insects, especially soft-bodied Spiders and Grasshoppers, which it will snap up with eagerness when within reach. The expression of countenance in these small Monkeys is intelligent and pleasing. This is partly owing to the open facial angle which is given as one of 60°; but the quick movements of the head, and the way they have of inclining it on one side when their curiosity is excited, contribute very much to give them a knowing expression. Anatomists who have dissected species of Midas tell us that the brain is of a very low type, from there being few convolutions, the surface being as smooth as that of a Squirrel’s. I should conclude, at once, that this character is an unsafe guide in judging on the mental qualities of these animals. In mobility of expression of countenance, intelligence, and general manners, these small Monkeys resemble the higher Apes far more than they do any rodent animal with which I am acquainted. On the Upper Amazon I once saw a tame individual of the Midas leoninus, a species first described by Humboldt, which was still more playful and intelligent than the one just described. This rare and beautiful little Monkey is only seven inches in length, exclusive of the tail. It is named leoninus on account of the long brown mane which depends from the neck, and which gives it very much the appearance of a diminutive Lion. In the house where it was kept it was familiar with every one; its greatest pleasure seemed to be to climb about the bodies of different persons who entered. The first time I went in it ran across the room straightway to the chair on which I sat down, and climbed up to my shoulder. Arrived there it turned round and looked into my face, showing its little teeth, and chattering, as though it would say, ‘Well, and how do you do?’ It showed more affection towards its master than towards strangers, and would climb up to his head a dozen times in the course of an hour, making a great show every time of searching there for certain animalculæ. Isidore Geoffroy St. Hilaire relates of a species of this genus, that it distinguished between different objects depicted on an engraving. M. Audouin showed it the portraits of a Cat and a Wasp. At these it became much terrified; whereas, at the sight of a figure of a Grasshopper or Beetle, it precipitated itself on the picture, as if to seize the objects there represented.“

MIDAS ARGENTATUM.

Bates is the authority for the following short notice of this pretty Monkey:--“The little Tamarin is one of the rarest of the American Monkeys. I have not heard of its being found anywhere except near Cameta. I once saw three individuals together running along a branch in a cacao grove near Cameta. They looked like white kittens. In their motions they resembled precisely the Midas ursulus already described. I saw afterwards a pet animal of this species, and heard that there were many so kept, and that they were esteemed as choice treasures. The one I saw was full-grown, but it measured only seven inches in length of body. It was covered with long white silky hairs, the tail was blackish, and the flesh nearly naked and flesh-coloured. It was a most timid and sensitive little thing. The woman who owned it carried it constantly in her bosom, and no money would induce her to part with her pet. She called it ‘Mico.’ It fed from her mouth, and allowed her to fondle it freely, but the nervous little creature would not permit strangers to touch it. If any one attempted to do so it shrank back, the whole body trembling with fear, and its teeth chattered, whilst it uttered its tremulous frightened tones. The expression of its features was like that of its more robust brother, the ursulus; the eyes, which were black, were full of curiosity and mistrust, and it always kept them fixed on the person who attempted to advance towards it.”

DEVILLE’S MIDAS.[113]

This pretty Monkey is plentiful everywhere on the Peruvian Amazons, but is extremely delicate in constitution. It will not bear the least cold, and it is kept with great difficulty. The Indian women make great pets of them, and put them into the long hair on their heads. They are thus kept warm, and are not without interesting occupation. Having become tame they frequently hop out of their odd home and feed, or having captured a Spider or two, scamper back and hide under the luxuriant crop of their owners, who are generally unwilling to part with them.

THE SILKY TAMARIN.[114]

This is one of the prettiest of the Tamarins, and has long silky fur and soft yellow hair. This is arranged like a mane around the neck and face, near to which its tint is redder than usual, and, to make a contrast, the face itself, and also the hands and feet, are dark purple. The beauty of the hair is very striking, and when the sun shines upon it there is a great display of colour, and a rich gloss over all. Like all the Tamarins, it has a tail about the same length as the body, which is not prehensile, but it is in this instance tufted at the end. The habits are pretty evident when the sharp, claw-like nails are examined. They are admirably adapted for seizing and killing small birds and insects, as well as for assisting the hands to hold fruit.

In the Brazilian forests they assemble in small parties, and, like the other Marmosets, bound from tree to tree, and keep up a great chattering and whistling, and they cry out with alarm, and soon disperse on the appearance of man within their usual haunts. This fondness for being high up in the woods is carried into their captivity, where they prefer having their little nest up at the top of the cage. In descending from this favourite spot they usually climb down backwards, the tail hanging down. They do not try to stand erect, and, indeed, the position is not natural to them.

They like to be caressed and fondled, but they give no such return, and they know those who are kind to them. They dislike strangers usually, and hiss at them. They are very delicate in Europe, as they require a constant high temperature. Cuvier states that these Monkeys have an air sac in the throat, resembling in situation that of the Spider Monkey (Ateles paniscus).

The Arctopithecini, as a group, have a smooth and rounded skull, large orbits, small brow-ridges, and a large brain-case. The skull is large behind, and the opening for the spinal cord (foramen magnum) is at the junction of the hind third with the two fore thirds of the length of the brain. They have numerous vertebræ in their back-bone, and those in the back and loins number usually nineteen. It is stated by Cuvier that there is an air sac in the neck of the Midas ursulus, which communicates with the organ of voice through a space between two of its cartilages. It appears that the hands and feet of the Marmosets have thumbs and toe-thumbs so slightly separable from the fingers and toes that the resemblance to “feet” is decided. This is increased by the fact that the thumbs have claws on them, and the toe-thumb is the only digit with a flat nail, all the rest having claw-like ones. The thumb is really not opposable, but nevertheless the muscles are there to give it movement; the opponens muscle of the thumb is doubtfully present, but the adductors, abductor, and long and short flexors are all there. There is much union of the deeper muscles of the fingers, indicating less independence of movement. In the foot the toe-thumb has no special abductor, and the transversus pedis is absent.

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XIII. GENERAL REMARKS ON THE QUADRUMANA

The Classification of the Monkeys of the New World--The Geographical Distribution of the Genera--The Fossil Monkeys of the New and Old World and their Alliances--The former old Fauna of Europe, Asia, and Africa--The Resemblance of Quadrumana to other Animals and Man.

With regard to the Monkeys of the New World, they are to be grouped and classified as follows:--The Howlers must be placed by themselves, then the Spider Monkeys; the Lagothrix and the Sajous form a very distinct group; and thus the prehensile-tailed series is complete. Then come the non-prehensile-tailed. The Sakis form one group, and the Squirrel Monkeys, and the Night, or Owl Monkeys (the Douroucoulis), make a second. The Arctopithecini are another family, and consist of the Marmosets and Tamarins.

Family. Sub-Family. Genus. Example. { Mycetes Howler. Platyrhini, { or Cebidæ Prehensile-tailed { Ateles Spider Monkey. { Lagothrix Barrigudo. { Cebus Cai. { Pithecia, { including { Brachyurus Saki. Non-prehensile-tailed { Callithrix Squirrel Monkey. { Nyctipithecus Douroucouli. Arctopithecini Hapale Marmosets. Midas Tamarins.

The American Monkeys present some remarkable instances of the localisation and dispersion of species; allied kinds of different species, but with the same habits, occupying neighbouring districts, or being rather remote. And it is noticed that the great rivers form barriers between the homes of different kinds, which, however, mingle at the river source, and in the country not rendered impassable to them by broad streams. Thus Wallace noticed that the Howler (Mycetes Beelzebub) is apparently confined to the Lower Amazon, in the vicinity of Para, and a black species to the Upper Amazon, the Red Ursine Howler having the Rio Negro and the Upper Amazon as its forest ground.

One Spider Monkey is found only in the Guiana district north of the Amazons, and another, the Ateles ater, inhabits West Brazil, but the species of the genus range, as a whole, over the forest regions from the south of Mexico to 30° south latitude, and even on the west of the Andes.

The Lagothrix Monkeys, with their fine, furry coats, are found in the Ecuador district of the Amazons, but are unknown in Guiana and Eastern Brazil, and the species of the short-tailed Sakis are restricted to special districts; thus the Couxio is from Guiana, and does not pass the Rio Negro on the west, or the Amazon on the south. The white-skinned one is found on the Rio Negro, and the B. rubicundus on the Upper Amazon, another species being found on the lower part of the same river. So it is with the other Sakis with long tails. The genus is found widely dispersed, but the species are restricted in their roaming. One is found, according to Wallace, on the north bank of the Upper Amazon, and another, with a red beard, only to the south-west of the Rio Negro. The genus Cebus has a very wide range in South America, so has the Squirrel Monkey group, for they are found on both banks of the Amazon and Rio Negro; but the white-collared species is found only on the Upper Rio Negro, and another on the Upper Amazon.

The same author noticed the range of the Douroucoulis in the Amazon districts; one (N. trivirgatus) is found in Ecuador, and the Cat-like kind on the Upper Amazon. Equally restricted to limited districts were three kinds of Marmosets.

Fossil remains of Monkeys have been found in the New World in the Brazils, which belong to the existing genera Cebus, Callithrix, and Hapale. The fossil Cebus is at least four feet in height, and the Callithrix was of a very large kind. The fossil Ouistitis are large and small. The geological age of the Brazilian fossils is probably about that of the last European deposits. Now, the remarkable part of this interesting story is, that in the olden time there was the same division of the Monkeys into those of the Old and of the New World. The Catarhini were then, as now, restricted to Europe, Asia, and doubtless to Africa; and the Platyrhini were only found in America, and moreover the resemblance of the old forms to the new is remarkable, the large size of the fossils being in keeping with what is known about the large dimensions of most of the old forms of life. Rütimeyer’s discovery in Switzerland of a fossil with bones like those of the Howler (Mycetes), and yet like a Lemur in structure, and of vast antiquity, carries us back to a time when a different distribution of animals prevailed. Then there were American-looking and Madagascar-looking things in Europe, and associated with them were Opossums and other creatures foreign enough to it at the present time. Nevertheless, this fact gives the hint of the origin of the American Monkeys from the Lemurs. Lately the fossil remains of a Lemur-like animal have been found in North America. In concluding this short notice of the extinct Monkeys, it must be remembered that in the days when there were those agreeable northern climates which made Greenland a land of flowers, Indian Monkeys lived in the dense woods of Greece, Central Europe, and Southern France.

Mr. Darwin, who has collected a vast array of facts relating to the resemblance of the Monkeys to other beings, writes very much as follows:--

“The resemblance of Monkeys to man is greatly caused by the relative position of the features of the face. The eyes are arched over; they are separated by a long nose, the end of which in some is very human. The mouth is not carried back, but occupies the same general position as in man, and the forehead, so often wrinkled, is usually prominent, and like that of a child. The likeness is increased by the fact that anger, sorrow, pleasure, and satisfaction are displayed by the Monkey by nearly similar movements of the muscles and skin, chiefly above the eyebrows, and round the mouth. Some few expressions,” writes Mr. Darwin, “are, indeed, almost the same, as in the weeping of certain kinds of Monkeys, and in the laughing noise made by others, during which the corners of the mouth are drawn backwards, and the eyelids wrinkled. In man the nose is much more prominent than in most Monkeys; but,” writes the same author, “we may trace the commencement of an aquiline curvature in the nose of the Hoolock Gibbon, and this in the great-nosed Monkey is carried to a ridiculous extreme.” All this is disappointing to those who pride themselves on “the family nose,” especially if it is a Roman. Again, the faces of many Monkeys are furnished with beards, whiskers, and moustaches. The hair grows to a great length in some species of Semnopithecus, and in the Bonnet Monkey (Macacus radiatus) it radiates from a point on the crown, with a parting down the middle. This is a human fashion; moreover, in this Monkey the front hair ends rather abruptly, and a downy and almost smooth-looking forehead is shown. They have eyebrows in some instances. Mr. Darwin, in carrying out his investigations into the resemblances between men and Monkeys, said he is, as, indeed, have been all anatomists, very interested regarding the hair of the limbs of those he places in comparison. “It is well known,” he writes, “that the hair on our arms tends to converge from above and below to a point at the elbow. This curious arrangement, so unlike that in most of the lower Mammals, is common to the Gorilla, Chimpanzee, Orang, some species of Hylobates, and even to some American Monkeys. It is not invariable in the same genus, for in Hylobates agilis the hair on the forearm is directed downwards, or towards the wrist, in the ordinary manner, and in Hylobates lar, it is nearly erect, with only a slight forward inclination. It can,” he adds, “hardly be doubted that with most Mammals the thickness of the hair and its direction on the back are adapted to throw off rain, and even the transverse hairs of the Dog’s leg may serve for this end when he is curled up asleep.”

Mr. Wallace remarks that the convergence of the hair towards the elbow on the arms of the Orang serves to throw off the rain when, as is the custom of this animal, the arms are bent, with the hands clasped round a branch, or over its own head. But the previously-mentioned naturalist aptly remarks that the attitude may not determine the direction of the hair; and that, on the contrary, the direction of the hair may determine the attitude. Of course the darkness of the negro makes any likeness, real or imaginary, with the Monkey, all the greater, and really the resemblance of the American Monkey--whose name (Satanas) indicates his ill looks with its jet-black skin, white rolling eyeballs, and hair parted at the top of its head, to a young negro, is laughable enough.

Any one who visits the Zoological Gardens soon becomes aware that there is a great variety of expression in the eyes and muscles of the face of Monkeys, and infinitely greater in amount than in any other animals, and in some points infinitely less than in man. Mr. Darwin has collected facts, and given the result of his own observations upon the different methods of expression produced by the facial and other muscles, and the following is from his work on the “Expression of the Emotions”:--

“It is not possible to distinguish in Monkeys, at least, without more experience than I have had, the expression of pleasure or joy from that of affection. Young Chimpanzees make a kind of barking noise when pleased by the return of any one to whom they are attached. When this noise--which the keepers call a laugh--is uttered, the lips are protruded; but so they are under various other emotions. Nevertheless, I could perceive that when they were pleased, the form of the lips differed a little from that assumed when they were angered. If a young Chimpanzee be tickled, and the armpits are particularly sensitive to tickling--as in the case of our children--a more decided chuckling or laughing sound is uttered, though the laughter is sometimes noiseless. The corners of the mouth are then drawn backwards, and this sometimes causes the lower eyelids to be slightly wrinkled. But this wrinkling, which is so characteristic of our own laughter, is more plainly seen in some other Monkeys. The teeth in the upper jaw in the Chimpanzee are not exposed when they utter their laughing noise, in which respect they differ from us; but their eyes sparkle and grow brighter, as Mr. W. L. Martin, who has particularly attended to their expression, states.

“Young Orangs when tickled likewise grin and make a chuckling sound, and Mr. Martin says that their eyes grow brighter. As soon as their laughter ceases, an expression may be detected passing over their faces, which, as Mr. Wallace remarked, may be called a smile. I have also noticed something of the same kind with the Chimpanzee. Dr. Duchenne--and I cannot quote a better authority--informs me that he kept a very tame Monkey in his house for a year, and when he gave it during meal times some choice delicacy, he observed that the corners of its mouth were slightly raised; thus an expression of satisfaction, partaking of the nature of an incipient smile, and resembling that often seen on the face of man, could be plainly perceived in this animal.

“The Cebus azaræ, when rejoiced at again seeing a beloved person, utters a peculiar twittering sound. It also expresses agreeable sensations by drawing back the corners of its mouth, without producing any sound. Rengger calls this movement laughter, but it would be more appropriately called a smile. The form of the mouth is different when either pain or terror is expressed, and shrill shrieks are uttered. Another species of Cebus in the Zoological Gardens when pleased makes a reiterated shrill note, and likewise draws back the corners of its mouth, apparently through the contraction of the same muscles as with us. So does the Barbary Ape (Inuus ecaudatus) to an extraordinary degree; and I observed in this Monkey that the skin of the lower eyelids then became much wrinkled. At the same time it rapidly moved its lower jaw or lips in a spasmodic manner, the teeth being exposed; but the noise produced was hardly more distinct than that which we sometimes call silent laughter. Two of the keepers affirmed that this slight sound was the animal’s laughter, and when I expressed some doubt on this head (being at the time quite inexperienced), they made it attack, or rather threaten, a hated Entellus Monkey living in the same compartment. Instantly the whole expression of the face of the Inuus changed; the mouth was opened much more widely, the canine teeth were more fully exposed, and a hoarse barking noise was uttered.

“The Anubis Baboon was first insulted, and put into a furious rage, as was easily done by his keeper, who then made friends with him, and shook hands. As the reconciliation was effected the Baboon rapidly moved his jaws and lips up and down, and looked pleased. Two or three species of Macacus, and the Cynocephalus niger, draw back their ears, and utter a slight jabbering noise when they are pleased by being caressed. With the Cynocephalus the corners of the mouth are at the same time drawn backwards and upwards, so that the teeth are exposed; hence this expression would never be recognised by a stranger as one of pleasure. The crest of long hairs on the forehead is depressed, and apparently the whole skin of the head drawn backwards. The eyebrows are thus raised a little, and the eyes assume a staring appearance. The lower eyelids also become slightly wrinkled, but this wrinkling is not conspicuous, owing to the permanent transverse furrows on the face. With Monkeys the expression of slight pain, or of any painful emotion, such as grief, vexation, jealousy, &c., is not easily distinguished from that of moderate anger, and these states of mind readily and quickly pass into each other. Grief, however, with some species, is certainly exhibited by weeping. A woman who sold a Monkey to the Zoological Society, believed to have come from Borneo (Macacus maurus), said that it often cried, and Mr. Bartlett, as well as the keeper, Mr. Sutton, has repeatedly seen it when grieved, or even when much pitied, weeping so copiously, that the tears rolled down its cheeks. There is, however, something strange about this case, for two specimens subsequently kept in the Gardens, and believed to be the same species, have never been seen to weep, though they were carefully observed by the keeper and myself when much distressed and loudly screaming. Rengger states that the eyes of the Cebus azaræ fill with tears, but not sufficiently to overflow, when it is prevented getting some much-desired object, or is much frightened. Humboldt also asserts that the eyes of the Callithrix sciureus instantly fill with tears when it is ‘seized with fear,’ but when this pretty little Monkey in the Zoological Gardens was teased so as to cry out loudly, this did not occur. I do not, however, wish to throw the least doubt on the accuracy of Humboldt’s statement.

“The appearance of dejection in young Orangs and Chimpanzees when out of health is as plain and almost as pathetic as in the case of our children. Their state of mind and body is shown by their listless movements, fallen countenances, dull eyes, and changed complexion.

“This emotion is often exhibited by many kinds of Monkeys, and is expressed, as Mr. Martin remarks, in many different ways. Some species, when irritated, pout the lips, gaze with a fixed and savage glare on their foe, and make repeated short starts as if about to spring forward, uttering at the same time inward guttural sounds. Many display their anger by suddenly advancing, making abrupt starts, at the same time opening the mouth, and pursing up the lips so as to conceal the teeth, while the eyes are daringly fixed on the enemy as if in savage defiance. Some again, and principally the long-tailed Monkeys, or Guenons, display their teeth, and accompany their malicious grins with a sharp, abrupt, reiterated cry. Mr. Sutton confirms the statement that some species uncover their teeth when enraged, whilst others conceal them by the protrusion of their lips, and some kinds draw back their ears. The Cynocephalus niger, lately referred to, acts in this manner, at the same time depressing the crest of hair on its forehead, and showing its teeth, so that the movements of the features from anger are nearly the same as those from pleasure; and the two expressions can be distinguished only by those familiar with the animal.

“Baboons often show their passion, and threaten their enemies in a very odd manner, namely, by opening their mouths widely, as in the act of yawning. Mr. Bartlett has often seen two Baboons, when first placed in the same compartment, sitting opposite to each other, and thus alternately opening their mouths; and this action seems frequently to end in a real yawn. Mr. Bartlett believes that both animals wished to show to each other that they are provided with a formidable set of teeth, as is undoubtedly the case. As I could hardly credit the reality of this yawning gesture, Mr. Bartlett insulted an old Baboon, and put him into a violent passion, and he almost immediately thus acted. Some species of Macacus and of Cercopithecus behave in the same manner. Baboons likewise show their anger--as was observed by Brehm with those which he kept alive in Abyssinia--in another manner, namely, by striking the ground with one hand, like an angry man striking the table with his fist. I have seen this movement with the Baboons in the Zoological Gardens, but sometimes the action seems rather to represent the searching for a stone or other objects in their beds of straw. Mr. Sutton has often observed the face of the Rhesus Monkey, when much enraged, growing red. As he was mentioning this to me another Monkey attacked a Rhesus, and I saw its face redden as plainly as that of a man in a violent passion. In the course of a few minutes after the battle the face of this Monkey recovered its natural tint; at the same time that the face reddened, the naked posterior part of the body, which is always red, seemed to grow still redder, but I cannot positively assert that this was the case. When the Mandrill is any way excited the brilliantly-coloured naked parts of the skin are said to become still more vividly coloured.

“With several species of Baboons the ridge of the forehead projects much over the eyes, and is studded with a few long hairs representing our eyebrows. These animals are always looking about them, and in order to look upwards they raise their eyebrows. They have thus, as it would appear, acquired the habit of frequently moving their eyebrows. However this may be, many kinds of Monkeys, especially the Baboons, when angered or in any way excited, rapidly and incessantly move their eyebrows up and down, as well as the hairy skin of their foreheads. As we associate in the case of man raising and lowering of the eyebrows with definite states of the mind, the almost incessant movement of the eyebrows by Monkeys gives them a senseless expression. I once observed a man who had a trick of continually raising his eyebrows with any corresponding emotion, and this gave to him a foolish appearance; so it is with some persons who keep the corners of their mouths a little drawn backwards and upwards, as if by an incipient smile, though at the time they are not amused or pleased.

“A young Orang, made jealous by her keeper attending to another Monkey, slightly uncovered her teeth, and uttering a peevish noise, like ‘tish-shist,’ turned her back on him. Both Orangs and Chimpanzees when a little more angered protrude their lips greatly, and make a harsh barking noise. A young female Chimpanzee in a violent passion presented a curious resemblance to a child in the same state. She screamed loudly, with widely-open mouth, the lips being retracted so that the teeth were fully exposed. She threw her arms wildly about, sometimes clasping them over her head. She rolled on the ground, sometimes on her back, sometimes on her belly, and hit everything within reach. A young Gibbon in a passion has been described as behaving in almost exactly the same manner. The lips of young Orangs and Chimpanzees are protruded sometimes to a wonderful degree under various circumstances. They act thus not only when slightly angered, sulky, or disappointed, but when alarmed at anything--in one instance at the sight of a Turtle--and likewise when pleased. But neither the degree of protrusion nor the shape of the mouth is exactly the same, as I believe, in all cases; and the sounds which are then uttered are different.

“Frowning, which is one of the most important of all the expressions in man, is due to the contraction of the corrugations by which the eyebrows are covered and brought together, so that vertical furrows are formed on the forehead. Both the Orang and Chimpanzee are said to possess this muscle, but it seems rarely brought into action, at least in a conspicuous manner. I made my hands into a sort of cage, and placing some tempting fruit within, allowed both a young Orang and Chimpanzee to try their utmost to get it out; but, although they grew rather cross, they showed not a trace of a frown, nor was there any frown when they were enraged. Twice I took two Chimpanzees from their rather dark room suddenly into bright sunshine, which would certainly have caused us to frown. They blinked and winked their eyes, but only once did I see a very slight frown. On another occasion I tickled the nose of a Chimpanzee with a straw, and, as it crumpled up its face, slight vertical furrows appeared between the eyebrows. I have never seen a frown on the forehead of the Orang.

“A fresh-water Turtle was placed, at my request, in the same compartment in the Zoological Gardens with many Monkeys, and they showed unbounded astonishment, as well as some fear. This was displayed by their remaining motionless, staring intently with widely-opened eyes, their eyebrows being often moved up and down. Their faces seemed somewhat lengthened. They occasionally raised themselves on their hind legs to get a better view. They often retreated a few feet, and then, turning their heads over one shoulder, again stared intently. It was curious to observe how much less afraid they were of the Turtle than of a living Snake, which I had formerly placed in their compartment, for in the course of a few minutes some of the Monkeys ventured to approach and touch the Turtle. On the other hand some of the larger Baboons were greatly terrified, and grinned as if on the point of screaming out. When I showed a little dressed-up doll to the black Baboon, it stood motionless, stared intently with widely-opened eyes, and advanced its ears a little forwards; but when the Turtle was placed in its compartment, this Monkey also moved its lips in an odd, rapid, jabbering manner, which the keeper declared was meant to conciliate or please the Turtle. I was never able clearly to perceive that the eyebrows of astonished Monkeys were kept permanently raised, though they were frequently moved up and down. Attention, which precedes astonishment, is expressed by man by a slight raising of the eyebrows, and Dr. Duchenne informs me that when he gave to the Monkey formerly mentioned some quite new article of food, it elevated its eyebrows a little, thus assuming an appearance of close attention. It then took the food in its fingers, and with lowered or rectilinear eyebrows scratched, smelt, and examined it, an expression of reflection being thus exhibited. Sometimes it would throw back its head a little, and again with suddenly-raised eyebrows re-examine, and finally taste, the food.

“In no case did any Monkey keep its mouth open when it was astonished. Mr. Sutton observed for me a young Orang and Chimpanzee during a considerable length of time; and, however much they were astonished, or whilst listening intently to some strange sound, they did not keep their mouths open. This fact is surprising, as with mankind hardly any expression is more general than a widely-open mouth, under the sense of astonishment. As far as I have been able to observe, Monkeys breathe more freely through their nostrils than men do, and this may account for their not opening their mouths when they are astonished, for, as can be discovered with care, man apparently acts in this manner when startled, at first for the sake of quickly drawing a full inspiration, and afterwards for the sake of breathing as quietly as possible.

“Terror is expressed by many kinds of Monkeys by the utterance of shrill screams, the lips being drawn back so that the teeth are exposed. The hair becomes erect, especially when some anger is likewise felt. Mr. Sutton has distinctly seen the face of the Rhesus Monkey grow pale from fear. Monkeys also tremble from fear, and sometimes they void their excretions. I have seen one which, when caught, almost fainted from an excess of terror.”

Rengger, who studied the American Monkeys carefully, says that they evidently understand each others’ gestures, and this is plain enough to all who spend a little time in a large collection of them. They have their likes and dislikes, and submit to be teased and bullied by some favourite, although of a different species; the contrary, however, is the usual occurrence, and they resent familiarities very readily. Perhaps the most amusing instance of this fondness is given by Mr. Darwin, who had it from the Superintendent of the Zoological Gardens. Two Chimpanzees, rather older animals than those usually brought to England, were introduced to each other for the first time:--“They sat opposite, touching each other with their much-protruding lips, and the one put his hand on the shoulder of the other. They then mutually folded each other in their arms. Afterwards they stood up, each with one arm on the shoulder of the other, lifted up their heads, opened their mouths, and yelled with delight.”

YOUNG ORANGS. (From a Sketch at the Zoological Gardens.)

Mr. Bartlett, of the Zoological Gardens, states that the faculty of attention which is necessary for imitation, obedience, and teaching, is a very variable one amongst the same species of Monkeys, and told Mr. Darwin the following anecdote:--“A man who trains Monkeys to act used to purchase common kinds from the Zoological Society at the cost of five pounds for each, but he offered to give double that price if he might keep three or four of them for a few days, in order to select one. When asked how he could possibly so soon learn whether a particular Monkey world turn out a good actor, he answered that it all depended on their power of attention. If, when he was talking and explaining anything to a Monkey, its attention was easily distracted, as by a fly on the wall, or other trifling object, the case was hopeless. If he tried punishment to make an inattentive Monkey act, it turned sulky. On the other hand, a Monkey which carefully attended to him could always be trained.”

Very little is known about the family habits of the Monkey, and whether they have one, two, or many wives; but in some instances, where the colour of the male and his ornamentation differs from that of the female, it has been possible to trace their habits. Thus, the Gorilla is undoubtedly a polygamist, and the males and females differ. So it is with the Baboons, which live in troops or herds containing twice as many adult females as males. Amongst the South American Monkeys the Howler (Mycetes caraya) usually lives with two or three wives, and is distinguished from them by his voice, colour, and beard; and the Capuchin, which also differs from the female, is probably polygamous. The good example of having one wife set by some Monkeys is utterly lost upon some Eastern potentates. Thus, Sir John Lubbock states, that an intelligent Kandyan chief--of course a polygamist--was perfectly scandalised at the utter barbarism of living with only one wife, and never parting until separated by death. “It was,” he said, “just like the Wanderoo Monkey.”

P. MARTIN DUNCAN.

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XIV. THE LEMUROIDA

THE GENERA INDRIS AND LEPILEMUR HAPALEMUR.

The Name of the Genus Lemur popularly given to the Group--Lemuroida the Correct Name--Their Distinctive Characters--Their Hands and Feet--Ankle-bones--Tail--Rete Mirabile--Nostrils--Colour of the Eye--Ears--Teeth--Brain--Resemblance to Monkeys--Their Locality--Lemur at Liberty--Its Playfulness--Division of the Lemurs--Beauties of Madagascar--GENUS INDRIS--Described by Grandidier--Their Locality--Colour--Fingers--Teeth--THE DIADEM INDRIS--Specimens at the British Museum--Little known about it--THE WOOLLY LEMUR--Described by Sonnerat--THE SHORT-TAILED INDRIS--Distinguished by its Tail--Its Skull--GENUS LEPILEMUR--Their Teeth--Tail--THE WEASEL LEMUR--THE GREY LEMUR--Specimens obtained by Pollen--Their Cry.

The forests of Madagascar, of Western and Eastern Africa, and of some of the Asiatic Islands, are the homes of several kinds of animals which are not unlike the Monkeys in some respects, but which differ from them in their habits of life, and, to a certain extent, in their anatomy. Most of them are in the habit of hiding up all the day, and of moving with great vivacity at dusk and during the night-time. Their gliding, noiseless motion amidst the dense foliage of the tropical woods during the dark hours, and their restless activity in searching for their food during the short twilight, were considered to resemble the fitful apparitions of sprites, spectres, and hobgoblins, and hence Linnæus gave them the name of Lemurs, taking the term from the Latin (lemures), “ghosts.” The name has been adopted popularly, so as to include all the kinds which, with some structural resemblance to the Monkeys, are for the most part nocturnal in their habits, and it really appears to represent the notions which the excessively timid and superstitious natives of the Eastern Islands have of the malevolent influence of some of these active and very small creatures, whose large eyes glare and shine in the dark woods as they rush to and fro before the extreme darkness of the night commences. The use of the name has been productive of some confusion, for it was especially given to one genus or group of kinds which is restricted to the Island of Madagascar. The genus Lemur, with a species of which most visitors to the Zoological Gardens are familiar--the Ring-tailed Lemur--by no means contains all the animals now under consideration, and they have been arranged under other groups, or genera, and have different names; yet they are all popularly called Lemurs.

Hence, to avoid this confusion, it is usual to call the genus just mentioned genus Lemur, and all the others “Lemur-like animals,” and the Greek word εἶδος (like) being added the term Lemuroida is formed. In scientific language, then, the creatures popularly called Lemurs are termed Lemuroida. Either expression may be used, but if the familiar one is employed, it is necessary to remember that the word means other animals besides those of the genus Lemur.

The Lemurs, using the popular term in its wide significance, can be distinguished from the Monkeys and all other animals at a glance. Very few travellers have the opportunity of observing them when wild, and enjoying their liberty in their native woods, but every visitor to the Zoological Gardens in the Regent’s Park may have the chance of comparing some of them with other animals. This comparison may be made readily at certain times, but not always, for only a few Lemurs care to show themselves in broad daylight, and the rest come out of their little nests in the evening. They are known by hairy “hands” at the end of the arms and legs, large furry tails, slim furry bodies, long ears, great staring eyes, and a muzzle like that of a small Fox. At night-time, when the Baboons, Macaques, Guenons, and American Monkeys are at rest and asleep, the Lemurs are awake, and rushing and jumping here and there in their limited space; but during the day-time, when the Monkey world is most giddy, with one or two exceptions the others are quiet, and if poked out into daylight look dazed and stupid, and are only too glad to get into darkness again. The exceptions to these habits are not numerous. The Night-loving Monkey of South America comes out to look about at the same time as its neighbour, the Night-loving Lemur; and the Common, or Ring-tailed Lemur, is always ready to receive food, or to be noticed in broad daylight, as it goes to bed with monkeydom in general.

The other animals with which the Lemuroida may be confounded are such as Squirrels, Weasels, Rats, Cats, and small Kangaroos. Some Lemuroida have a slight resemblance, in general shape, to some of these, and their habit of going about hopping on the hind legs tends to the general likeness; moreover, in some there are front teeth greatly resembling those of the gnawing, or Rodent animals, and in all the back teeth are somewhat like those of insect-eating animals, or Insectivora. But a little care will show that all these animals are sufficiently distinct so as not to be classified with the Lemuroids in the same group of the animal kingdom. The fact that the Lemuroids have large thumb-like great toes, which enable the foot to be used as a hand, is quite sufficient to distinguish them from animals with paws, and all those mentioned above.

A curious mistake was made by confounding a Lemur with the Sloth (which is never found out of South America, where also there are no Lemurs) in the diary of a correspondent to one of the most important newspapers in the world, and which was read with universal interest, and certainly with great amusement, during the Ashantee War. He wrote:--

“Sloths (!) of the two-toed variety abound in every part of the country. At night we always heard them, and much discussion did they cause. The cry is somewhat like the Nubian Hyena, and I think no evidence appeared besides this deceiving sound to prove the existence of Hyenas on the Gold Coast. It is only a monosyllable, Ka, repeated in scale, at longer and longer intervals as it mounts the gamut. Amongst the last octaves, the creature seems bound to burst. One listened for the final notes with ridiculous anxiety, lying awake in the still darkness. Do, re, mi, fa, sol passed off easily; but the la demanded evident exertion, the si exertion greater still, and so on at lengthening intervals, till one reached the octaves, which really seemed to split the beast’s throat in utterance. I once heard a Sloth compass six octaves, but he generally finds his ultimatum at the third. The native story goes that the animal makes only a pitiful moaning when on the ground, but no sooner is he arrived on the tree-top than he utters this piercing cry; and therefore, as Mr. Bonnat told me, the Ashantees, a quick-witted people, call certain chiefs of theirs cocofhoo, or Sloth, because whilst they were small men they sang small, but they crow very loud from the ‘stools’ to which the king thus raised them.... I believe Mr. Winwood Reade shot a fine Sloth at Mansu. The only specimens I myself saw were two young ones, both captured by cutting down the tree on which they sat. They had pretty grey furs, and the same anxious wretched look common to their family. Those who still credit the old belief about Sloths--if there be any--would have been much disconcerted to observe the activity these creatures showed in running up and down the pole to which they were tied, walking head downwards, of course!”

The Lemuroida as a group have some general characters in common. Firstly, they are all Quadrumanous, and the hinder thumbs are in most very large, strong, opposable to the other digits, and capable of much movement. Furnished also with well-made thumbs on the hands, they have a great power of grasp, and of clasping boughs and large creeping plants during their active climbing and jumping. Then there are special structures on the tips of the fingers; these are flattening of the tips into disc-or button-shaped pads, on the upper surface of which is the nail. The skin of these rounded tips covers a cushion of fat, and is well supplied with sensitive nerves, and hence they are not only cushions, but extremely fine points of touch. Their use is evidently connected with the extremely agile boundings, from branch to branch, during the hours when there is little or no light. The sense of feeling, then, replaces that of sight to a great extent, and the supply of nerves is sufficient to excite the muscles of the fingers and hands, toes and feet, to hold on at the least touch; while the cushions of fat prevent the extremities from being jarred. These curious tips give a very clumsy appearance to the digits, even when they are extremely small. There is a true claw on the second digit (toe) of the foot, and nails on the other fingers and toes in some Lemuroids, but there are different arrangements of the claws in others. It is noticed when several kinds of them are examined, that there is a great difference in their digits as regards their size and length, and the fourth is the longest instead of the third, as in man: but sometimes the index, or first finger, not counting the thumb, is much reduced in size, and in two forms it is very defective, and only a little knob remains to show its position; but this apparent deformity has something to do with their method of life. The thumbs are well formed, and so are the third, fourth, and fifth digits, the index being as just mentioned, and the result is to divide the hands, as it were, into two opposing portions, giving a grasp like that of the climbing birds--the Parrot, for instance. These kinds of Lemuroida creep slowly towards their prey, and clasp the branches firmly before they jump on the insect they desire to catch. Besides these peculiarities of the hands and feet, which, moreover, are supplied in every joint with tendons and muscles of great motive power, the fore-arm is capable of turning the wrist forwards or backwards, or, as it is called, rotating, and also of bending. Again, the upper arm is loosely but firmly attached to the shoulders and neck, so as to admit of great range of motion, so what with the bending and rotation of the fore-arm, and the mobility and cushioned state of the fingers, these creatures possess a wonderful apparatus, suited for extreme action and safe holding on. The ability to rest on the hind legs and jump like a Kangaroo (see page 5), which is peculiar to some kinds, depends also upon peculiar structures. The ankle-bones are very long in these, so long, indeed, as to make the foot resemble that of a Frog when jumping more than that of any other animal. The long ankle-bone acts as part of a lever, and enables the muscles of the back of the leg to act on the foot so as to project the creature high in the air, or for many feet from one bough to another, or along the ground. There is nothing like this in the Monkeys. Now, the woolly fur of the Lemuroids, and their cylindrical woolly tails, at first sight appear to be encumbrances to an active animal which lives in the tropics, but they are all extremely chilly creatures, and love heat; moreover, it is possible that severe falls may be rendered less injurious by the deadening influence of a soft fur. The tail is a wonderful apparatus in some kinds, and barely exists in others, being, however, never prehensile even when longest and strongest. Probably it is used as a kind of adjuster of movements in rapid exercise, and certainly it is a great comfort to many, for several kinds like to curl it over their backs, or round their necks, like a sable boa, whilst they are asleep, or basking in the sun. In one kind it is supplied with a marvellous set of tendons, and, indeed, to such an extent of complexity, that it would appear that Nature had lavished mechanical appliances to every joint without any very definite use. It is remarkable that in those Lemuroida which have no tail, or barely a trace, there is a curious arrangement of the blood-vessels. The limbs in these kinds are not supplied with main arteries, and veins with long branches, but the blood-vessels form a closely-packed set of tubes of very small size. This network, in the language of science, is called a rete mirabile, “a wonderful network,” for such it is. Curiously enough this arrangement of the blood-vessels is found in some totally different animals, whose movements are very slow and cautious, such as the Sloths, for instance. Equally slow are the movements of some of the kinds of Lemuroida which possess this interesting structure. It has been suggested that this novel division and subdivision of the blood-vessels tends to produce slowness of movement, and it may be said in a general way that the active Lemuroida and active animals of other orders do not have a rete mirabile.

Some Lemuroids have short, and others have long muzzles, and there is great variety in the shape of the head. Evidently those with long noses have a very fine sense of smelling, and the whole of the members of the sub-order have a peculiar twist in the outside nostril, which distinguishes them from the Monkeys of both the Old and the New World. This twist was thought to be of great importance in classifying the Lemuroida in the animal scale, and they are often at the present day termed “Strepsirhini,” from the Greek words which mean curved nostril. Some scent out insects and grubs under the bark of trees, and all use this sense in searching for food by night. There are some long hairs about the upper lip and cheeks like those of a Cat, and these “smellers” are doubtless extremely sensitive to touch, and although they do not assist the sense of smelling, they help the animals in avoiding danger in their movements through the dark underwood.

The colour of the iris (the membrane around the pupil of the eyes) is very beautiful in most, and as the eye is large and staring, it is well seen. Sometimes the pupil is round, but in some kinds it is a slit, as it is in the domestic Cat, for instance, and this shape has much to do with their nocturnal habits. The iris moves in two directions, and makes the pupil either larger or smaller; and the importance of this gift is, that whilst a small pupil admits only a very slight quantity of light into the body of the eye, a large one allows a great amount to enter; hence, at eventide the pupil dilates, or, in other words, the iris acts so as to enlarge it, and all the light possible enters, but in sunlight the pupil contracts, even to a point, the iris moving so as to shut out the superfluous and injurious illumination. The nocturnal kinds require a very dilatable pupil, for they move often in comparative darkness, and when the least ray of light is of benefit to them. Besides this structure, there is another which has to do with husbanding, and making the most of faint light. If the eyes of a Lemur are examined a little carefully, they will be found to glare with a very metallic lustre in certain lights, just as those of a Dog and Cat. It appears that in certain animals, and in the Lemuroids, there is a peculiar layer within the eye which looks coloured; but really it is only very finely marked by fibres, which decompose the common white light into its primitive colours, in the same manner as the extremely delicate markings invisible to the naked eye on mother-of-pearl produce the well-known beautifully iridescent tints. This layer is behind the sensitive layer of the eye, and it acts as a concave reflector, collecting the slightest glimmers, and making them of use. The membrane is called the tapetum. It has been noticed that there is a difference in the expression of the eyes of the Lemuroids and Monkeys, and certainly these last have the advantage of showing their impudence, malice, and fear in their beautiful organs of sight.

The ears of some Lemuroida are small, but in the majority not only are they large, but they possess singular powers of movement, and in some can be folded up. The sense of hearing is undoubtedly acute in the nocturnal kinds, and their capacious ears are of immense importance to them, for they have to discover their prey by their sense of smell and sight, and also to be on the alert against their natural enemies.

There is a singular want of sameness in the teeth of the Lemuroida, and several kinds, which apparently lead the same sort of lives, and eat the same food, have different arrangements of the cutting and grinding teeth. Sometimes the front teeth fall out when the second set is cut, and are not replaced, and in the Aye-Aye they act as perfect chisels. As a rule, in all kinds, the lower front teeth project horizontally forwards from the jaw, and somewhat resemble in their direction those of the Marmosets, but the upper ones are straight. As the Lemuroida live easily and perform movements of very much the same character year after year, their brains are not much called upon. They are not as tractable or as intelligent as Monkeys, and although their muscles act with vigour and ease, still they are not required to perform the actions which are regulated by the superior intelligence of the Apes. Hence it is not to be expected that the brain of the Lemuroida will be as well developed as that of the Ape or Monkey. It is, in reality, not so bulky, and not so convoluted. The brain is low in height, longer than broad, and does not cover the cerebellum. Finally, the young Lemuroida are nourished within their parent through a placenta, which is diffuse, and more or less disc-shaped, and therefore unlike that of the animals already described, and of man.

They have a peculiarity about the under part of the tongue, namely, beneath its tip there is a fringe of scaly flesh, the free ends of which, when the mouth is shut, fit in between the front teeth. Its use is unknown, but some have said that it is to keep the back of the teeth and the spaces between them clean.

It is their general shape, and the possession of what may be called a toe-thumb, which makes the Lemuroids resemble Monkeys, but the likeness is not with those of the Old World, but with the furry Marmosets, with long canine and projecting front teeth, of the New World. But although there are these points of resemblance, the intelligence of the Monkey is far in advance of that of the Lemur, and this can be well estimated when their eyes are compared. In the Monkey the eye is very movable, full of varying expression, and often has the aspect of supreme cunning and mischief; but this is never the case in the others, whose fixed, staring eyes have no speculation in them.

Differing as they do from the world of Monkeys, the Lemuroida still resemble them as a whole, more than they do any other animals, and therefore they are associated with them in the scheme of classification. They belong, therefore, with the Monkeys, and man, to the Primates, and as they present important differences from the Monkeys, they are classified in a separate sub-order of the Primates. This sub-order is called the Lemuroida, a term which has already been explained. Some zoologists, impressed with their great resemblance to the Apes, have called them the Half Apes, and others, looking upon them as the forerunners of the Monkeys, term them Pro-Simia.

The Lemuroida live in very out-of-the-way places, and the majority are in Madagascar, which is an island very little visited by Europeans, and where some naturalists have studied them and their habits under great difficulties. The skins of captured specimens have been stuffed, and a few living kinds have found their way to England; hence there are some fine groups of stuffed Lemuroida in the British Museum, and some living species in the Zoological Gardens. Marvellous stories, of course, abound amongst the natives regarding their tricks and habits, and the sober truth has been very difficult to distinguish from error, especially as the night is the scene of their gaiety. Nevertheless, during the last few years much knowledge has come to hand about these interesting creatures, and it has been rendered all the more important by the labours of the comparative anatomists, who have dissected many kinds of them, and described their results.

There is no doubt that at first sight they are uninteresting. Many sleep most of the day, as a rule, and they cannot be got out of their snug little dens in the Zoological Gardens during visiting hours except by force, and then they look dazed and stupid. But a careful observation opens out much that is extremely interesting in their habits, and shows how remarkably their limbs and bodies are adapted for a singular and nocturnal life. Take an example:--Some Lemuroida, which live in Caffraria and South-eastern Africa, are called “Galagos” by the natives, and the name has been adopted by zoologists. One of these is of an uniform dark brown colour, and the tail is long, cylindrical, and woolly, the ears being large, rounded, and black, and it is called the Black, or Garnett’s Galago. There is nothing to be made of its habits during the day, but if any one is affected with sleeplessness, and desires a domestic pet that would enliven the dreary midnight hours, then forthwith let him purchase a specimen, if possible a pair of them. They will rest quietly enough and contented in their berths during the day, but only let them have freedom in the chamber for a while at night, with a Cat or Dog for companion, and, presto! the dull hours will be merry. The following is Mr. Bartlett’s (Superintendent of the Zoological Gardens) experience in a letter addressed to one of us:--“The other night I took an opportunity of letting one of these interesting creatures--Garnett’s Galago--have his liberty in my room, and I assure you I was well repaid by his performance. Judge my utter astonishment to see him on the floor, jumping about upright like a Kangaroo, only with much greater speed and intelligence. The little one sprang from the ground on to the legs of tables, arms of chairs, and indeed on to any piece of furniture in the room; in fact, he was more like a sprite than the best pantomimist I ever saw. What surprised me most was his entire want of fear of Dogs and Cats. These be boldly met and jumped on at once, and in the most playful manner hugged and tumbled about with them, rolling over and over, hanging on their tails, licking them on the head and face. I must add, however, that now and again he gave them a sharp bite, and then bounded off, full of fun at the noise they made in consequence of the sly nip he had inflicted. This active trickery he never appeared to tire of; and I was myself so pleased on witnessing the droll antics of the creature that the night passed and it was near daybreak before I put a stop to his frolics by catching and consigning him to his cage. In bounding about on the level ground, his jumps, on the hind-legs only, are very astonishing, at least several feet at a spring, and with a rapidity that requires the utmost attention to follow. From the back of a chair he sprang, with the greatest ease, on to the table, four feet distance. He was delighted with a little wooden ball, which he rolled about and played with for a considerable time, carrying it in one hand while he hopped and skipped about in high glee. He eats fruits, sweetmeats, bread, and any kind of animal substance, killing everything he can pounce upon and overpower. This strong and active little brute thus eats his prey at once, as I had proof in an unfortunate Sparrow which he unmercifully devoured head first.”

Another pair of these Galagos, since kept in the Society’s Gardens, at dusk and nightfall behave quite as actively. Most unwillingly are they poked out of their comfortable sleeping-box during the day, or even when becoming dark, until they hear the keeper sounding all visitors out, and quietness reigns. Immediately, then, they are full of life, and utter an extraordinarily loud and prolonged ka-ka-ing yell, a sort of feu-de-joie. From even till morn there follow unceasing motion and occasional ejaculation, until, on the appearance of the keeper, they retire to rest.

The number of the Lemuroida is considerable, and they have been grouped in at least twelve genera, and these, again, have been arranged in families. These will be classified by-and-by. It is extremely difficult in many instances to distinguish one kind or species from another, in consequence of the great sameness of shape, and the fact that the same individual has a different coloured coat at various times of his life, and that the males and females of the same kind are often differently coloured.

It will be seen, on reading the description of the Monkeys in the first chapters, that they can be arranged not only by their peculiar structures into grand groups, but by the particular parts of the world they inhabit. Hence they have been divided into those of the Old and of the New World. Now, something of the same kind may be done for the Lemuroida, but not quite as perfectly. There are six genera of them living in Madagascar, three in Africa, and three in the great Asiatic Islands and Hindostan. But although some of those of one locality are very distinct from those of others, it is not always so, and one Madagascar and one African group present close resemblances, and, curiously enough, two West African genera are classed close to two whose kinds live in Ceylon, Hindostan, and the island of Borneo.

No Lemuroid has ever been found in the New World, or in Australia. It will then be convenient, in order to avoid too much anatomical description, to separate at first the Lemurs geographically, and the first to be noticed are those of Madagascar.

As yet very little is known about the natural beauties of the great island of Madagascar. Very few books have been written about it, and nearly all of them are devoted to descriptions of the manners, customs, and religions of the different tribes. In fact, missionary work and political enterprise rendered the publication of such works necessary, and, with rare exceptions, the beauties of Nature, and the interesting fauna and flora, were treated with neglect.[115] Moreover, the jealousy of the governing powers prevented many of those travellers, who were competent to observe Nature and to appreciate her beauties, from exploring large tracts of the island. Descriptions, then, of the characteristic scenery, and of the habits of most of the animals of Madagascar, are exceedingly scarce; and, indeed, those which do exist cannot all be believed, for one geographer, whose work teems with lively anecdotes, and with illustrations of forest and upland, is stated by a later writer never to have left the eastern coast.

It appears, however, that the scenery of the great island is very varied. There is a long line of sea-coast, which is fertile in some places, but very sterile and unprofitable in the south especially. This coast-line limits the forest land, which forms a belt around the higher mountains of the central part of the country, and the hill or comparatively treeless district is broken and very romantic. Those who hunt the Lemuroida know that it is useless to seek for certain kinds everywhere; and, indeed, their experience proves that each of the different districts of the island has a peculiar little assemblage of these “Half Apes” amongst its trees. The silence amongst the woods, where the luxuriance of vegetation is extraordinary, is most remarkable. It is so different from the noise and motion within tropical forests in other parts of the world, and it is only at the end of the day, when the short twilight approaches its close, that the quiet solemnity of the scene is broken by the cries and agile movements of the various Lemuroida. The quietude is produced by the absence of the whole of the Monkey tribes from Madagascar, for they are the great noise-makers of the forests of other tropical countries, and by the indisposition of most of the Lemuroids to move by daylight. They hide themselves in nests of leaves or amongst the densest foliage, and some seek the tops of the highest trees for safety. They seem to know that the hunter will seek them by day if possible. But as the dusk approaches, the quiet, solemn-looking creatures begin to move, jump, swing, and run along the branches with a wonderful dexterity and rapidity. They rarely come to the ground, and when they do so, their gait is clumsy, but up in the trees their motions are graceful and noiseless. They cry out to each other, and appear to take a delight in disturbing the echoes of the night, and after eating their fill they become quieter towards dawn, when they retire to their hiding-places looking dazed and half-blinded by the light. Some of the kinds called Indris, now about to be described, illustrate these remarks very well; thus one species is only found in little patches of forest land, quite in the extreme south of the island, where the country is sandy and poor, whilst a second is found in the north-east of the island amongst the luxuriant woodland. Some keep to the districts where the bamboos abound, much to the disgust of the hunter, for the covert is thick, and the leaves very destructive to clothing. Probably it is the difficulty in trapping and shooting some kinds, and their night-life, which gives them a superior intelligence in the eyes of the natives, who hold some which are very man-like, having no tail, or only just a stump, in great veneration.

GENUS INDRIS.

The distinguished traveller of Madagascar, M. Grandidier, found it very difficult to obtain much information about these Lemuroids, the name of which is the same as a native expression of surprise, such as “Look, there it is!” He undertook a very perilous journey by sea and land to the south of the island, and there he found the favourite woods of some, and also in the south-west. He arrived in a coaster, in June, 1866, off Fort Dauphin in the south-east of the island, and being blown out to sea, gained the southernmost cape, St. Marie, off a most inhospitable and arid shore. A long row of sand dunes, without a trace of vegetation, bounded, in the background, a low coast-line of rocks, which extended far into the shallow sea, being constantly hidden by furious waves. Not a trace of man or of dwellings could be seen. The sand dunes slope towards the sea at a high angle, and are at least 150 yards high. Their tops are flat, and continue backwards into the country for some distance. They are composed of broken shells, and are covered here and there by a stunted spiny vegetation. It was on the slopes of these dunes that Grandidier found portions of the eggs of the extinct colossal bird Æpyornis. Beyond the dunes is a vast plain without even small hills, and covered with a scanty vegetation of groups of deformed trees; but in the remote distance hills are seen, and then there are numerous forests.

Some species of Indris live in these stunted forests of deformed trees, in bands of ten or twelve, and never come to the ground except when pressed by hunger. When seen under such circumstances, they stand up on their hind feet, their tail hanging behind them, and they advance by little hop-like motions, resembling those of a child that jumps with its feet tied together.

They are nearly white in colour, and are called Sifac by the natives (page 212), and are looked upon with veneration, for they are not very unlike very small men in general shape, especially when they stand erect. In common with all the Indris, they are slim, tall, long-legged animals, with very strong feet, with a large and well-formed thumb-like opposable great toe. The head is very furry, and the ears, tufted with hair, are almost, but not quite, hidden, whilst the muzzle, moderate in length, projects between the staring eyes. They have a longish neck, and the body seems to be compressed at the sides. All the fur is soft, and stands out, and that of the tail makes it like a Fox’s brush, but is more slim and cylindrical.

But there is a curious arrangement of the fingers, for the index finger of the hand (that is to say, the first finger, not counting the thumb) is shorter than the fifth, so that their “fore finger” is a little finger. The toe-thumb is placed widely from the toes, and rather backwardly, and the toes are united together by a kind of fold or web of the skin which reaches up to the first joint; moreover, the first toe (not including the toe-thumb) has a curved claw on it. They are not good walkers, any more than the Apes, although, like them, they assume the erect position, and it is only on very rare occasions, and when it is necessary to cross a tract of land to get to trees with more fruit upon them, that they attempt to put the foot to the ground. It is not their natural position, and they seem to be quite out of their element. When they come to the ground they rest on the outer edges of the feet, and soon drop on their hands, on the corresponding parts of which they support themselves. So walking is performed with difficulty, and not with grace, and in this they may be compared with the Orangs; but in the Indris the arms are always shorter than the legs. In the trees and branches, which are their favourite haunts, they climb easily, rapidly, and with grace, running along the boughs, jumping to great distances, and alighting with unerring certainty, and clinging on with wonderful tenacity. The structure of the muscles, bones, and ligaments enables them to lead this active arboreal existence, and so strong is their power of grasp, that it remains sometimes after death, for it has happened that in shooting them whilst clinging to the branches they have remained suspended after having been mortally wounded, or dead.

Being dwellers in the foliage of the trees, and amongst the network of branches, twigs, and creepers, the kinds of Indris have a choice of many kinds of food. Leaves, buds, fruit, insects, eggs, and small birds are constantly within their reach, but usually they do not hunt or chase prey, and are satisfied with the best fruit they can find, and other vegetable substances. Nevertheless, they do not despise or reject a bird as something out of the common way of diet, and they open the skull and suck the brains. The teeth are not very well suited for stopping and killing living prey, for in the grown-up individuals there are no lower canines, there being only an upper pair, and thus one of the most important seizing and killing arrangements is absent. On the other hand there are plenty of crushing teeth, with sharp points to them, which enable the Indris to champ fruit without much side to side movement of the jaw being permitted. There are two false, or premolars on each side in both jaws, and three molar teeth behind them. Besides these there are four front teeth in both jaws. In all there are thirty teeth, a smaller number than in any of the animals yet considered.

The upper front teeth, or incisors (four in number only), project forwards very slightly, and nearly bite up and down; but the four lower front teeth (incisors) project well forwards, and the outer pair of them are sometimes called canines, but their office is plainly the same as that of the other front teeth. The predominance of the crushing teeth (there being twenty of them) over those adapted for tearing flesh, denotes that these animals should have a vegetable diet, and this requires larger digestive organs, as the food is bulky. So it is found that the stomach is single, and then there is a very large cæcum, or blind-gut, which ends in a large intestine, which is very long, and twisted on itself, so as to form two regular folds, one on the other, instead of one, as is commonly observed in the higher animals already noticed; in fact, the arrangement is not very unlike that of the sheep, whilst the cæcum is on the same scale as that of that great vegetarian, the Rabbit. These large parts of the digestive apparatus are common to most vegetable-eating animals, whilst the flesh-eaters have them short and small.

But the Indris does not begin life with the prospect of being a vegetarian, for it has a first set of teeth, or milk teeth, as they are termed, and these are shed to make way for the second, or permanent set. Now, it is most curious that the young should have more teeth than the elders, and that were this first set to persist through life, it would indicate a very mixed-feeding animal. The little ones have no less than thirty-four teeth, and they have two lower canines, and two extra lower false molars more than the adults. As age increases all these first teeth gradually fall out, and are replaced, to a certain extent, by the second set mentioned above.

Now, what is the meaning of this? Why should the young have a larger set than the adults? Clearly those of the adult are admirably adapted for its life, and it is equally evident that those of the young are of no particular use to them. They are either suckling, or are eating fruits obtained for them, and do not kill and feed on birds and living things. It is found that the milk teeth of Indris correspond with the adult or permanent set of such an animal as the Ring-tailed Lemur, which belongs to a different genus. Hence the perfect condition of the teeth of the genus Lemur are the same as the first arrangement of the teeth in the genus Indris. It tends to prove that there is some genealogical relationship between the two genera, and that they were derived from a common ancestor. Moreover, it may be assumed that the milk teeth of all animals are inherited from a perfect and adult ancestral form which was less highly organised or constituted.

It is said that the female Indris has but one little one at a time, and that they are all gentle and timid, being rarely kept for any time in captivity. They are nocturnal in their habits, and evidently have extremely sensitive vision, and, like the others which lead this life, they are protected from many jarring falls by the structure of their hands and feet.

THE DIADEM INDRIS.[116]

This is a fine species, with a white furry ruff, or crown, on the forehead and around the face, and it has a long muzzle and body, and a thick, long tail. It greatly resembles the White Indris, called Sifac, with the exception of its characteristic head ornament, and leads the same kind of life in another part of the island of Madagascar. Fine stuffed specimens of it, and of many other Indrisinæ, are in the British Museum, and it will be noticed that they are there called, not Indris, but Propithecus, which is another name for them. It is a question of the value of a tail in classification, which produces the two names for one genus. Some zoologists are impressed with the great importance of the tail, and do not class species together as a genus, although they may have strong resemblances, unless they all have or have not tails. Others do not consider the possession of a tail to be of such great importance when the other characters are sufficiently close to render it advisable to form them into one group. The same question arose in considering the Monkeys, for in the genus Macacus we admitted Macaques with and without tails; and also in the genus Cynocephalus, in which there are some with good, others with small, and a few with very stumpy tails, the same caudal latitude was given. Hence, it is not consistent to form two genera of these creatures, one with a tail (or Propithecus) and the other without one, or with a stump (or Indris). Indris contains the Lemuroids, whose other resemblances are so great that they overweigh the tail question. So little is known about the Diadem Indris that it is only necessary to notice one point in its anatomy, which refers to its habits. It evidently assumes the semi-erect posture very frequently when climbing, and a great part of the weight of the body is felt by the foot and its great clasping toe-thumb. The examination of the foot proves that it is one, and not a hand, for bone for bone it may be compared with the human foot, and that of the Apes. The great toe is wide apart from the others, and in that it resembles the thumb of a hand; but all the other bones of the ankle or tarsus are in the same relative position as they occupy in us. They have the same names. Their foot is very broad, and this is produced by the extra size of the four front bones of the ankle, and these form an arch, the three inner ones being more or less wedge-shaped, and the outer, or fourth, is more or less of a cube in shape; hence they are called the wedge-shaped (cuneiform) and cube-shaped (or cuboid) bones. They are jointed in front to the long bones (metatarsals), and behind to the three other ankle-bones. All are united more or less solidly by ligaments, and yet there is motion. Now in this Indris the wedge-shaped bones are large, especially the second from the inside, or the middle one, and curiously enough this is small in most other Lemuroids. The large arch formed by these bones contributes to the strength of the foot.

The Diadem Indris is found in the forests of the central parts of Madagascar, and appears to keep apart from other kinds and to roam about the dense woods in bands.

THE WOOLLY LEMUR--THE AVAHI.[117]

This is one of the long-tailed Indris, and is remarkable for having long hinder limbs, a long furry tail, a very short muzzle, and a round head.

It was first described by Sonnerat, in his voyage to the East Indies, who called it the Makis à bourre, or the Woolly Makis. On the north-east coast, the natives call this Indris the Amponghi, and this name is given to it in the great forest of Tsasifoutt, which is in the island of St. Mary, adjacent to Madagascar. This is an interesting point, for it affords evidence that the island of Madagascar had once a greater geographical extension, and that St. Mary’s and the other small islands along the coast were at a former period continuous with it. These woolly Indris are not frequently caught, or indeed seen at all, for they hide during the daytime, and sleep curled up amongst the thick shade of the foliage, or in some comfortable nest in the hollow of a tree. At night-time they wake up, and eat and play amongst the trees on which their food grows. They are said to be stupid animals, but probably, as they have never had their intelligence tested except when half asleep, they may be quite as intelligent as the other Lemuroids, and this opinion is strengthened by the fact that the brain of the Indris laniger is large in proportion to the size of the body; larger indeed in proportion than the brain of any of the others. It is this relative size of the great organ of the nervous system which has impressed some zoologists with the propriety of placing this Indris at the head of all the Lemuroids, and nearest the Monkeys.

The animals are small in size, and a dried skin measures rather more than a foot and a half in length, from the muzzle to the root of the tail, and this latter appendage is thirteen inches long. The head is broad over the eyes, which are wide apart, and the muzzle barely projects, and the whole of the face is covered with short hairs of a reddish-brown tint. There is a distinct band of whitish fur placed across the top of the forehead, and which has fur before and behind it of a darker colour than the rest of the hair of the body. This band is curved, and forms a point which projects forward in the middle line of the forehead. The fur on the back and flanks of the body is of a dark grey colour close to the skin, but on its surface the colour is brown more or less rusty. This is the tint on the extremities, the grey colour underlying. On the backs of the thighs there are white patches, and at those spots there is no deep-seated grey tint. The cylindrical tail is reddish-brown, like the hands and feet. The ears are short and rounded, and are generally hairy, but not tufted, and they are hidden in the fur of the head. The nostrils are separated by a narrow septum. The feet are short and broad, and the claw of the toe is long and cylindrical.

Although the muzzle is so short, the teeth are set so as to be in a long row on each side, for the front cutting teeth are not placed side by side, but in front of each other, and there is a strange gap between the inner ones in the upper jaw. Then the canine teeth, seen, of course, only in the upper jaw, are very broad, and the next teeth to them (the first pre-molars) are as large as they are. This is a marked peculiarity, and there is no other creature except man that has these teeth so closely resembling each other. To complete the notice of this little highly-constructed Indris it is necessary to remark that its wrist-bones resemble in their number and place those of man and the higher Apes. The Gibbons and all the other Monkeys have an extra bone to the wrist, called the intermedium, and this is present in the Indris already noticed, but it is absent in this Avahi, and in the next kind about to be described.

The next species to be noticed was never included in the so-called genus Propithecus, as it has only a short stump of a tail, but has always been taken as the special illustration of the group Indris.

THE SHORT-TAILED INDRIS.[118]

This species can be distinguished from all others by its stump-like tail. It has a long muzzle, visible hairy ears, and generally speaking the fur is black; it is marked, however, with white hairs on the fore-arms, back, and hinder quarters. As regards the teeth, there is some variability in the size of the upper incisors in different individuals, and the front pair may be smaller or larger than the hind pair. The inhabitants of Madagascar call it the Babakoto (baba means “father,” and koto, “boy”). This Indris, which attains the height of three feet, is found in the interior of the east of Madagascar; and when Vinson travelled through one of the great forests in that part of the island, he was constantly annoyed by the incessant noise made by numerous bands of them, which kept themselves, however, out of sight, and hidden in the dense foliage. The natives consider the Babakoto sacred, and believe that the trees on which they live yield leaves which will cure all diseases. Moreover, they tell some astonishing stories about these objects of their veneration. They say that it is dangerous to cast a spear at one of them, for, if it misses its mark, the animal returns the weapon with a surer aim! They also assert that after a little one is born, the mother throws it to the father, who is usually up a tree close by, and he throws it back again! This exercise is repeated several times; and if the young one is invariably caught it is reared with care, but if it tumbles, there is an end of it. They train the Babakoto to catch birds; and it is said that they become as useful as Dogs; moreover, it appears that, although these Indris are in the main fruit-eaters, they will not despise the brains of birds, which they suck with evident delight.

The skull of an Indris has large orbits, which are open behind into the space in which the temporal muscle works, and the “tear-canal” is in front of the orbit; moreover, the forehead, or frontal bone, is divided. The lower jaw has its angle, or the part between that which holds the teeth and that which rises up to be jointed with the skull, turned in, and the upper jaw in front is joined by the intermaxillary bones.

GENUS LEPILEMUR.

An animal which has no upper front teeth is certainly a curiosity, especially when its general state and habits resemble those of the other Indris and Lemuroids, and the Lepilemur is such a one. It is found in Madagascar, and it is interesting on account of the variable nature of the colour of the fur in different individuals, as well as from the nature of its teeth and its habits. It differs, however, so much from all the other Lemuroida, that it is placed by itself in a genus, and the distinctions are that when fully grown it has no upper front teeth, although it has them in the first, or milk set, and that it has also four teats for its young instead of two, as is the case in all the animals hitherto noticed. The name refers to its prettiness, and hence the genus is called Lepilemur.

This creature, considering its size, has an immense tail, as it is ten inches long, the head and trunk measuring only fourteen, and the whole animal forms a nice little meal for the natives of the north-west of the island. They call it Fitili-Ki, and as it eats the buds and leaves of trees it has a good flavour as a meat; hence it is sought after, but not hunted, for that is unnecessary. Knowing its habits the natives watch it, and, when it has left off playing and scampering about with its fellows (for it is very sociable), notice where it retires as daylight appears. There they find their prey quietly asleep, curled up in a comfortable nest of leaves, and they kill it with a stick. Hunting them would be useless, for they are quite nocturnal in their habits, and their activity in moving, and agility in taking prodigious bounds and jumps, are wonderful. Indeed, their body seems to be carefully made as strong as possible to meet the strains of their jumping, and there is a ridge of bone in the bodies of some of the vertebræ which strengthens the spine as a whole; moreover, the relation of the length of the ankle-bones and of the lower leg is that which is best adapted to their heedless rushings from branch to branch through the woods. Their nightly excursions for fruit and play are rendered all the more safe by their great eyes and widely open orbits, but how the eating the fruit is assisted by the want of the upper front teeth may probably puzzle most people. Perhaps the diet may require a greater use than is usual of the back teeth, and the lower ones are peculiar, for their front part is carried forward outside the next tooth before them in the jaw, giving thus much extra strength to the whole. This Weasel Lemur, or Lepilemur mustelinus, has fair-sized ears, and its colours are of all sorts of shades of red, grey, white, and yellow.

These animals hide their little ones, which do not get about much at first, in nests made in the holes in trees.

Another Lemuroid excited the attention of the members of one of the political missions, which was sent from the island of the Mauritius to the capital of the Hovas, in mountainous Central Madagascar. This animal was found in some numbers in the bamboo forests, which skirt the hills at their base, and many were caught in that of Alamazaortra. It seemed to live in the masses of bamboo leaves, and to wander about them by night, sleeping and resting by day in the deepest part of the woods. It is small, and has a short muzzle and a round head, and a long tail, the prevailing colour being grey, with red tints here and there on the back and head, which are paler below. It is a variable species, and some individuals are more olive than grey, but all have such peculiar teeth that they can be distinguished from all others of the sub-order. They have upper and lower front teeth, but the upper set are very small, and are so placed that the canine teeth hide the outer ones; besides this character there are four teats instead of two.

M. Pollen, a well-known naturalist, says that the natives of the north-west of Madagascar call it the Bokomboule, and in Europe it has been named the Grey or Broad-nosed Lemur, the genus being called Hapalemur, and hence its proper name of Hapalemur griseus. The word Hapalemur means Gentle Lemur (from ἁπαλός, soft, gentle), and this appears to be their character. Hearing of their presence in the bamboo forests, M. Pollen wished to go there to hunt them, but he was strongly urged not to do so on account of the fatigue of the sport, and the difficulties likely to arise from the spines, thorns, and sharp leaves, which readily produce wounds. He went, and after being well scratched and cut about, he returned with some specimens. The Hapalemurs sleep during the whole of the day rolled up, with the back curved, and the head between the thighs, the tail being curled over the back; but they are not so sleepy that they cannot escape from the hunter who seeks them. Idle enough by day, they exhibit a wonderful agility and disposition to romp and play at night. Their cry is like the grunt of a little Pig, and the greater part of their nourishment is derived from bamboo-leaves. One, which was kept by M. Pollen in captivity, ate bananas, but would touch rice only when it was half starved, and it had the strange propensity so often observed in some tame Monkeys of biting its tail.

The next group of the Lemuroids is that which has given the name to the whole sub-order.

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