THE MONKEYS OF DUTCH GUIANA. 399 



The remarkable feature of this ape is its beautiful hair and beard. The 

 dense head-hair of the male is divided in the middle of the forehead 

 into a thick beard about two inches long, running down the cheeks 

 and under the chin from one ear to the other. No beau could keep 

 his beard and hair in better order than this handsome animal. 



The prettiest of the apes of Surinam is the squirrel-ape ( Chrysohryx 

 sciurea). It is called the monkey in the colony, sapajou in Cayenne, 

 aJcalima by the Caribs, and cahreanama by the Arowaks. I kept 

 three of these little monkeys at a time for twenty-six years ; and as 

 soon as one died, I took care that another should come in its place. 

 One of them lived thirteen years in captivity. They are considerably 

 larger than a squirrel ; the body is about twelve inches long, colored 

 greenish-gray with a white belly ; the fore and hind legs are golden 

 yellow, face and ears white, snout black, and eyes large and brown. 

 The hairy, soft tail is black at the tip and a little longer than the 

 body, and serves the animal as a kind of balancing-pole wOien he takes 

 his jumps. In sleep and at rest the tail is slung over the shoulders. 

 These apes are very lively, always in motion, although they sleep 

 through the day, and are extremely sensitive to cold. They lie much 

 in the sun ; and, if one would have them live in Europe, they must 

 be kept constantly in a temperature of not less than 75°. They usu- 

 ally live in large troops of a hundred and more, not in the deep woods, 

 but in the shrubbery on the borders of the woods, and support them- 

 selves on fruits, insects, and birds' eggs. I always got them quite 

 young, and they soon accustomed themselves to milk, bread, and ripe 

 l5auanas, on which they thrived well. When at first they were allowed 

 to run around loose in the room, they would suck their thumbs like a 

 child for hours at a time. Their clean, white faces, with the hair-line 

 sharply defined, their black mouths, large, lively eyes, and their spright- 

 ly, confident behavior gained them everybody's liking. Although 

 they were easily enraged, they would soon return to a good humor ; 

 and in most ways they behaved very much like little children. They 

 never tried to bite unless they were irritated, and under good treat- 

 ment were as harmless, pleasant creatures as one could find. They were 

 kept tied under the galleries of my house, and at night were shut up 

 in a kennel together, for they could not be allowed to run about in the 

 house after they grew up, because they handled and spoiled every- 

 thing. If they were allowed to run at large, they would attach them- 

 selves to the swine, and run around with them through the meadows. 

 At five o'clock every evening, after the shutters had been closed, they 

 were let loose, and had a mad chase among the bread-fruit and palm 

 trees, which lasted till it grew dark, when they came of themselves 

 to be shut up in their kennel. While they ate insects, they did not 

 seem to know how to distinguish the poisonous ones ; and three of them 

 died from eating the wrong butterflies. We were indebted to these 

 little animals for much entertainment in our solitude on the Maroni. 



