18 Account of the Habits of a Specimen of the 



Art. III. Account of the Habits of a Specimen of the Simia 

 Jdcchus, Lin., or Jacchiis vulgaris, Geoff., novo in the Possession of 

 Gavin Milroi/, Esq. Edinburgh. Communicated by P. Neill, 

 Esq. M.A. F.R.S.E. Sec. W. S. 



The living specimen of »Simia Jacchus (fg. 1.), Oiiistiti, or, 

 as it is called by the English in South America, Mamozeet 

 Monkey, which has been in my possession since last June, I 

 procured from a slave in the streets of Bahia (the capital of the 

 province of San Salvador in Brazil), to w^hich place this and 

 many other kinds of animals are brought from the country 

 for sale. At first it was exceedingly fierce and wild, screech- 

 ■ ing most vehemently when any one dared to approach it. I 

 was about to sail for England, and took it with me on board 

 of our vessel immediately. I laid in a few oranges, bananas, 

 mangoes, and Indian corn, to feed it with during the voyage. 

 A little kennel or box was made, where it slept, or retired 

 when frightened. It was long before it was so reconciled, 

 even to those who fed it, as to allow the slightest liberty in 

 the way of touching or patting its body; and it was almost 

 impossible to do this by surprise, or by the most quiet and 

 cautious approach, as the monkey was not steady a moment, 

 but was constantly turning its head round from side to side, 

 eyeing every person with the most suspicious and angry look; 

 its sense of hearing appeared to be excessively acute, so that 

 the slightest whisper was sure to arouse it. The voice of this 

 little animal was peculiarly sharp and disagreeable, consisting 

 of a very quick succession of harsh and shrill sounds (imitated 

 in the name oitistiti), so loud, that they might be heard from 

 the remotest part of the ship. 



To give a long description of the external appearance 

 of the animal is quite unnecessary, as the present specimen 

 corresponds in every particular with the descriptions of natu- 

 ralists, and agrees very well with those I have seen preserved 

 in museums. It is the smallest, 1 believe, of the ASimia 

 tribe, its body not being quite so large as that of a squirrel ; 

 the prevailing colour is a lightish brown, edged with grey ; 

 the hair on the head and tail is considerably darker, and the 

 latter is very beautifully barred with circular bands of a 

 lighter hue ; but what is characteristic of this species is, the 

 cluster or patch of white elongated hairs which stand out 

 before the ears, and give a curious appearance of antiquity to 

 the little animal ; so much so, indeed, that it received the appel- 

 lation of " the little old man" from the sailors. The external 

 ears are peculiarly large and capacious, but are nearly hid in the 

 Jong hair ; the size of the concha, no doubt, contributes to the 



