ATELES. 9 
some doubt by the late Dr. Gray as Eriodes frontatus’, but afterwards regarded by him 
as a variety of A. melanochir 11; and the richly coloured dark type was described by the 
same voluminous writer as A. ornatus!4. Mr. Sclater and Professor Schlegel have 
united these nominal species ; and a comparison of many specimens leaves little doubt 
of their identity. Their variation is not connected with geographical distribution, both 
the dark and the light variety occurring in all the States named above; and every 
gradation is to be found between the deepest-coloured ornatus and the whitest 
melanochir. As already pointed out, the best character by which the darker forms 
may be distinguished from the next species is the want of a distinct line of demar- 
cation between the colours of the upper and lower parts, the tint of the flanks, what- 
ever it may be, passing almost insensibly into that of the breast and belly in all the 
varieties. 
Geoffroy’s Spider-Monkey is a native of Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama; and 
the Zoological Society have received it from the United States of Colombia. It is very 
abundant in Costa Rica, according to Dr. v. Frantzius, being found in the mountains 
up to an elevation of from six to seven thousand feet, as well as in the hot forests near 
the coast. In Nicaragua, as shown by the above-quoted localities, it is found on both 
the Pacific and the Atlantic coasts. Northward of this I have not been able to trace 
it; for the Spider-Monkeys of Guatemala and South Mexico belong, as I believe, to 
A, vellerosus. 
In his interesting ‘Naturalist in Nicaragua’ (p. 117) the late Mr. Belt gave the 
following account of the habits of this species as observed in that State :—‘ The large 
yellowish-brown Spider-Monkey (Afeles) roams over the tops of the trees in bands of 
from ten to twenty. Sometimes they lay quiet till I was passing underneath, when, 
shaking a branch of the nispera tree [Achras sapota], they would send down a shower 
of the hard round fruit; but fortunately I was never struck by them. As soon as I 
looked up, they would commence yelping and barking, and putting on the most 
threatening gestures, breaking off pieces of branches and letting them fall, and shaking 
off more fruit, but never throwing any thing, simply letting it fall. Often, when on 
lower trees, they would hang from the branches, two or three together, holding on to 
each other and to the branch with their fore feet and long tail, while the hind feet hung 
down, all the time making threatening gestures and cries. Sometimes a female would 
be seen carrying a young one on its back, to which it clung with legs and tail, the 
mother making its way along the branches and leaping from tree to tree, apparently 
but little encumbered with its baby.” 
Mr. Salvin tells me that during a stay of a few hours at San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, 
on the 25th May 1873, he met with several of these Monkeys when strolling in the 
neighbourhood of the town. He had gone ashore with Captain Dow, and was walking 
up the course of a half-dry stream, when they came upon a troop of Monkeys which had 
come to a pool to drink, and were climbing about the low trees on the bank of the 
BIOL. CENT.-AMER., Mamm. Vol. 1, Sept. 1879. C 
