90 CEBUS 



altogether upon the colors exhibited by their examples ; too often a 

 broken reed to lean upon, especially when endeavoring to establish 

 a new species of the genus Cebus. That these monkeys varied among 

 themselves in color to an incredible degree was not known nor under- 

 stood, hence the long list of synonyms that now accompanies the 

 names of many species. 



Bates found this monkey on the lower part of the Rio Tapajos, 

 where it is pretty generally distributed through the forests of the level 

 country. He saw it often also on the banks of the Upper Amazon, 

 and used to watch it leaping among the trees, as it is a wonderful 

 performer in this line of gymnastics. The troops travelled in a single 

 file of thirty or more individuals, and when the leader reached the end 

 of a branch of a lofty tree he at once sprang into the air, and alighted 

 on the yielding foliage of another tree maybe fifty feet below ; all his 

 companions following closely behind. As they alight they seize the 

 branches with hands and tail, steady themselves an instant and are off 

 again over the branches to the next tree. Bates kept one as a pet for 

 about a year, which went with him on his journeys and became very 

 familiar, sharing his blanket on wet nights. While restless, it was not 

 playful, its inability to remain quiet arising from a nervous irritability 

 and discontented disposition, and these were exhibited by the painful, 

 changeable expression of its countenance, and general lack of purpose. 

 Its actions were those of a wayward child, and it was not happy even 

 with plenty of its favorite food, bananas, but would leave its own 

 meal to snatch morsels from the hands of its companions. The 

 Caiarara kept the house in a perpetual uproar, for it screamed when- 

 ever alarmed or hungry or jealous; but no matter what the trouble 

 might be it was always making some kind of a noise, screwing up its 

 lips and uttering a succession of loud whistling notes. It would fol- 

 low its master, when loose, supporting itself upright on its legs. One 

 day in a fit of jealousy it quarrelled with an owl-faced monkey (Nyc- 

 tipithecus trivirgatus) , over a fruit some one had given the latter. 

 Nyctipithecus fought only with its paws and hissing like a cat, but the 

 Caiarara obtaining the mastery cracked the other's skull with its teeth 

 and killed it. Thereupon Bates got rid of it. It is difficult to suppose 

 that this individual was a fair representative of its species, but rather 

 had, unfortunately, a disagreeable, irritable disposition not often met 

 with among its relatives. However it is well known that all monkeys 

 are jealous, and when aroused by that regrettable passion are capable 

 of going to any extreme of violence, and at such times are best left 

 to themselves. 



