ATELEUS 37 



Ateleus geisescens Gray. 



Ateles ( !) grisescens Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 186S, p. 732; 

 Id. Cat. Monkeys, Lemurs and Fruit-eating Bats, Brit. Mus., 

 1870, p. 42; Sclat., Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1871, p. 223; 

 Schleg., Mus. Pays-Bas, Simise, 1876, p. 173 ; Forbes, Handb. 

 Primates, I, 1894, p. 242 ; Elliot, Mamm. Middle Amer. and 

 W. Indies, F. C. M. Pub., IV, Pt. II, 1904, p. 734, Zool. Ser. ; 

 Id. Check-L. Mamm. N. Amer. Cont. and W. Indies, F. C. 

 M. Pub., VI, 1905, p. 535, Zool. Ser. 



GRIZZLED SPIDER MONKEY. 



Type locality. Unknown. Type in British Museum. 



Geogr. Distr. Central America? 



Color. Entirely black except the under side of the tail which is 

 tinted with yellowish brown, the basal portion of the hairs being of 

 that color, as is also the basal part of the hairs on arms and legs. 

 Intermixed with the black hairs are long gray, or silvery, or golden 

 hairs, not sufficiently numerous to give a tint to the black color, this 

 being produced only where the basal part of the hairs are yellow or 

 golden, which is most apparent on the limbs, shoulders and lower part 

 of the back. Head, black mixed with golden brown hairs, these 

 directed forward, except those on forehead which stand upright ; hands, 

 feet, and tail above black with golden brown hairs intermingled. No 

 skull. Ex type British Museum. 



The type specimen has the appearance of a black monkey, with a 

 moderate number of golden brown and silvery hairs intermingled. In 

 some lights these are hardly perceptible, but in strong lights they are 

 conspicuous. It is a rather small animal about the size of A. cucuL- 

 LATUS. It certainly is a peculiar looking example, but its real claim to 

 specific distinctness can only be satisfactorily proved by the acquisition 

 of more specimens. It is nearest in its state of coloration to A. 

 CUCULLATUS and it is possible they may eventually prove to be the 

 same, but placed side by side this example is much blacker. Dr. 

 Sclater, writing about this animal in 1871 (1. c.) says "Dr. Gray 

 founded this species of Ateles ( !) upon a specimen that was living 

 in our Gardens in 1864. It was brought home by Mr, E. Greey, F. Z. S. 

 (who was at that time an officer in the West Indian Mail Company's 

 Steamship Shannon-, on the 29th Oct., 1864). Referring to Mr. 

 Greey's letters, I regret to find that he did not know the exact locality 

 of it, but only states that it was obtained by him at St. Thomas's, and 

 had already been three years in captivity, so that it was quite adult. 



"In 1889 (Oct. 12) we purchased of a London dealer a somewhat 



