46 ATELEUS 



length of upper molar series, 25; length of mandible, 77; length of 

 lower molar series, 29. Vertebra: Cervical, 7; Dorsal, 14; Lumbar, 

 4; Sacral, 3 ; Caudal, 31. 



Mr. Salvin during a short stop at San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, 

 met with several Monkeys, probably of this species, as related by 

 Alston (1. c.) when strolling in the neighborhood of the town. He 

 was walking up the course of a half dry stream, when a troop of 

 Monkeys came to a pool to drink, and were climbing about the low 

 trees on the bank of the water course. Most of the troop consisted 

 of Cebus hypolencus (C. capucinus Linn.), but with them were 

 several Ateles (!) of one of which Mr. Salvin wrote this description : 

 "The whole body has a light grayish drab all over, except the hands, 

 elbows, knees and feet which were black ; the face was black, with the 

 exception of the flesh colored mouth ; the upper part of the tail was 

 slightly tinged with buff, as was also the top of the head. On the 

 middle of the forehead was a small triangular patch of erect black 

 hairs." There were several others just like the specimen described. 

 These animals were evidently of the form described as A. melanochir. 

 It was not unusual Mr. Salvin states, to see occasionally this ]Monkey 

 kept in confinement in Guatemala, but, on inquiry, he always found 

 they had been brought from Nicaragua or Costa Rica. 



Belt, in his "Naturalist in Nicarauga" speaks of meeting a "large 

 yellowish brown Spider Monkey which roams over the tops of the 

 trees in bands of from ten to twenty. Sometimes they lay quiet until 

 I was passing underneath, when, shaking a branch of the Nispera tree, 

 they would send down a shower of the hard round fruit, but never 

 throwing anything, 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, whilst 

 their 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 

 among the branches and leaping from tree to tree, apparently but little 

 encumbered with its baby. A large black and white eagle is said to 

 prey upon them, but I never saw one, although I was constantly falling 

 in with troops of monkeys. Don Francisco \''elasquez, one of our 

 officers, told me that one day he heard a monkey crying out in the 

 forest for more than two hours, and at last going to see what was the 

 matter he saw a monkey on a branch, and an eagle beside it trying to 



