276 LASIOPYGA 



terior lower molars have only four cusps, a transverse ridge uniting 

 the two anterior together, and another the two posterior. Facial line 

 straight, about 58° ; premaxillaries on same line as rest of face; zygo- 

 matic arch high above alveolar border of molars. 



The Guenons, as the members of the genus Lasiopyga are called, 

 from their habit of making grimaces and showing their teeth, are all 

 dwellers on the African Continent. It is the largest genus of the 

 Primates, and its members are remarkable for the beauty of their coats, 

 some species exhibiting even a brilliant coloring, with at times gay 

 hues brought together in striking contrast. The Guenons are arboreal, 

 inhabiting the vast African forests, and are rarely seen upon the 

 ground, and then only when they may have penetrated a district where 

 trees are not over plentiful, but it is not often they go any distance 

 from the forests. They have a slender, muscular body, and are very 

 rapid in all their actions, incessantly in motion, and pass from tree to 

 tree with wonderful rapidity. When feeding, as a rule, they utter few 

 sounds, and when trying to conceal themselves among the foliage will 

 remain quiescent for a considerable length of time. But like many 

 of their race they are very inquisitive, and desire to examine any strange 

 or unusual object they may meet with. They feed chiefly upon fruits, 

 but various kinds of leaves are eaten by them, and doubtless, if they 

 were fortunate enough to find a bird's nest with eggs they would 

 not pass it by, nor would the hapless fledglings be permitted to go 

 unscathed. Wild honey, which is often hidden in the hollow of some 

 ancient monarch of the forest, would also be appreciated when found. 

 They fill their cheek pouches, and in them carry away all food not 

 eaten at the time, and visit the grain fields of the natives which may be 

 in the vicinity of their forest home, and do much damage, for like all 

 monkeys they destroy far more than they consume. When young they 

 are amusing pets, but as they grow old they are not to be trusted, which 

 is a trait of all the Primates, age usually bringing a sulky, fierce 

 temper with a morose disposition, that causes their possessors to seek 

 solitude rather than the companionship of their kind. About eighty 

 species and races of Lasiopyga are at present recognized, but doubt- 

 less many more unknown forms remain to be discovered in the vast 

 hidden recesses of the great woods with which so large a part of 

 Africa is covered. 



Bates referring to the Guenons (1. c.) observed by him in Southern 

 Cameroon, states: "The genus Cercopithecus, (La.siopyga), comprises 

 all the common species of monkeys of this country. Shooting these 



