Cuap. XII. NIGHT-APES. 337 
disposition ; but the Parauacut, although a dull, cheerless animal, excels 
all in this quality of capability of attachment to individuals of our own 
species. It is not wanting, however, in intelligence as well as moral 
goodness, proof of which was furnished one day by an act of our little 
pet. My neighbour had quitted his house in the morning without 
taking Parauacti with him, and the little creature having missed his 
friend, and concluded, as it seemed, that he would be sure to come to 
me, both being in the habit of paying me a daily visit together, came 
straight to my dwelling, taking a short cut over gardens, trees, and 
thickets, instead of going the roundabout way of the street. It had 
never done this before, and we knew the route it had taken only from 
a neighbour having watched its movements. On arriving at my house 
and not finding its master, it climbed to the top of my table, and sat 
with an air of quiet resignation, waiting for him. Shortly afterwards, 
my friend entered, and the gladdened pet then jumped to its usual 
perch on his shoulder. 
Owlfaced Night Apes.—A third interesting genus of monkeys, found 
near Ega, are the Nyctipitheci, or night Apes, called Ei-a by the 
Indians. Of these I found two species, closely related to each other, 
but nevertheless quite distinct, as both inhabit the same forest, namely, 
those of the higher and drier lands, without mingling with each other 
or intercrossing. ‘They sleep all day long in hollow trees, and come 
forth to prey on insects and eat fruits only in the night. They are of 
small size, the body being about a foot long, and the tail fourteen 
inches, and are thickly clothed with soft grey and brown fur, similar in 
substance to that of the rabbit. The physiognomy reminds one of the 
owl, or tiger-cat; the face is round and encircled by a ruff of whitish 
fur ; the muzzle is not at all prominent ; the mouth and chin are small ; 
the ears are very short, scarcely appearing above the hair of the head ; 
and the eyes are large and yellowish in colour, imparting the staring 
expression of nocturnal animals of prey. The forehead is whitish, and 
decorated with three black stripes, which in one of the species (Nycti- 
pithecus trivirgatus) continue to the crown, and in the other (N. felinus) 
meet on the top of the forehead. N. trivirgatus was first described by 
Humboldt, who discovered it on the banks of the Cassiquiare, near the 
head waters of the Rio Negro. One cannot help being struck by this 
curious modification of the American type of monkeys, for the owl-faced 
night apes have evidently sprung from the same stock as the rest of the 
Cebidz, as they do not differ much in all essential points from the 
Whaidpu-sais (Callithrix), and the Sai-miris (Chrysothrix). They have 
nails of the ordinary forms to all their fingers, and semi-opposable 
thumbs ; but the molar teeth (contrary to what is usual in the Cebide) 
are studded with sharp points, showing that their natural food is princi- 
pally insects. 
I kept a pet animal of the N. trivirgatus for many months, a young 
one having been given to me by an Indian compadre, as a present from 
my newly-baptised godson. ‘These monkeys, although sleeping by day, 
are aroused by the least noise ; so that when a person passes by a tree 
in which a number of them are concealed, he is startled by the sudden 
apparition of a group of little striped faces crowding a hole in the trunk. 
22 
