BRITISH GUIANA (II) 319 
made most delightful pets. With two other New World monkeys 
—the Woolly and the Capuchin—the Spider Monkey makes up 
the trio of the most affectionate and likable of any of the monkey 
tribe. One of mine, although reputed to be four years old, was 
brown instead of the usual black when he came into my posses- 
sion, but he changed to his normal color about a year later when 
in the London Zoo. This specimen possessed a small thumb, 
though in the majority of Spider Monkeys this digit is lacking. 
This animal not only suspends itself by the tail, swinging to and 
fro by this organ, but often uses it as a hand for culling fruit. 
A tame Spider Monkey will follow its owner like a dog, and I 
have several times seen one accompanying an aboriginal Indian 
on a fishing expedition in a dugout canoe. 
One of my most interesting acquisitions was a Tamandua Ant- 
eater. Like the arboreal pangolins of the Old World, this animal 
provides an example of a perfect adaptation to a particular mode 
of life. 
The Tamandua, whose body is about the size of that of a cat, 
has a long tapering face, no teeth and a tiny mouth only just large 
enough to permit the long viscous extensile tongue to carry out 
its function of mopping up ants that dwell in crevices of trees. 
The tail is highly prehensile so that, if necessary, the animal 
can hang upside down by this organ while engaged in the business 
of tearing away bark to expose quantities of ants. As an aid in 
climbing, its feet are furnished with large pads, and its front paws 
are provided with powerful chisel-like claws. Its long, flexible 
whip-like tongue twists round any bend when thrust into a crevice, 
and is protruded and retracted at great speed, the ants being re- 
tained in the mouth at each outward thrust. 
Rather surprisingly the Tamandua is affectionate, intelligent 
and playful and quickly becomes tame in captivity. My specimen 
was a female, and one night she escaped by tunneling through her 
wooden box, but returned three days later and promptly gave 
birth to a single baby. The young one was delightful and was 
carried around on its mother’s back from birth, it having great 
strength in its claws from the beginning. 
Later I acquired a male and all three lived happily together, 
the two adults showing great affection for each other. Often 
