T52 



THE NATURALIST ON THE RIVER AMAZONS. 



on deck. He had evidently found the 

 forests of the Rio Negro very different from 

 those of the delta lands of the Japura and 

 preferred captivity to freedom in a place 

 that was so uncongenial to him. 



The Parauacfi, Monkey. Another Ega 

 monkey, nearly related to the Uakaris, is the 

 Parauaeu (Pithecia hirsuta), a timid, inoffen- 

 sive creature, with a long bear-like coat of 

 harsh speckled-gray hair. The long fur 

 hangs over the head, half concealing the 

 pleasing diminutive face, and clothes also 

 the tail to the tip, which member is well de- 

 veloped, being eighteen inches in length, or 

 longer than the body. The Parauacu is 

 found on the "terra flrma " lands of the 

 north shore of the Solimoens, from Tunan- 

 tins to Peru, It exists also on the south 

 side of the river, namely, on the banks of the 

 Teffe,but there under a changed form, which 

 differs a little from its type in colors. This 

 form has been described by Dr. Gray as a 

 distinct species, under the name of Pithecia 

 albicans. The Parauacu is also a very deli- 

 cate animal, rarely living many weeks in 

 captivity ; but any one who succeeds in 

 keeping it alive for a month or two, gains in 

 it a most affectionate pet. One of the 

 specimens of Pithecia albicans now in the 

 British Museum was, when living, the prop- 

 erty of a young Frenchman, a neighbor of 

 mine at Ega. It became so tame in tne 

 course of a few weeks, that it followed him 

 about the streets like a dog. My friend was 

 a tailor, and the little pet used to spend the 

 greater part of the day seated on his shoulder 

 while Le was at work on his board. It 

 showed, nevertheless, great dislike to stran- 

 gers, and was not on good terms with any 

 other member of my friend's household than 

 himself. I saw no monkey that showed so 

 strong a personal attachment as this gentle, 

 timid, silent little creature. The eager and 

 passionate Cebi seem to take the lead of all 

 the South American monkeys in intelligence 

 and docility, and the Coaita has perhaps the 

 most gentle and impressible disposition ; but 

 the Parauacu, 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 in- 

 telligence as well as moral goodness, proof 

 of which was furnished one day by an act 

 of our little pet. My neighbor had quitted 

 his house in the morning without taking 

 Parauacu witu him, and the little creature 

 having missed its 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 neighbor 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 

 afterward, my friend entered, and the 



gladdened pet then jumped to its usual peroh 

 on his shoulder. 



Owl-faced 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 neverthe- 

 less quite distinct, as both inhabit the same 

 forests, 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 gray and brown 

 far, similar in substance to that of the rab 

 bit. Their physiognomy reminds one of the 

 owl or tiger-cat ; the face is round and en- 

 circled by a ruff of whitish fur ; the muzzle 

 is not at all prominent ; the mouth and chiu 

 are small ; the ears are very short, scarcely 

 appearing above the hair of the h^ad ; and 

 the eyes are large and yellowish in color, 

 imparting the staring expression of noctur- 

 nal animals of prey. The forehead is whit- 

 ish, and decorated with three black stripes, 

 which in one of the species (Nyctipithecus 

 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. 



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 pres- 

 ent from my newly- baptized 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. It was 

 in this way that my compadre discovered 

 the colony from which the one given to me 

 was taken. I was obliged to keep my pet 

 chained up ; it therefore never became 

 thoroughly familiar. I once saw, however, 

 an individual of the other species (N. feli- 

 nus) which was most amusingly tame. It 

 was as lively and nimble as the Cebi, but not 

 so mischievous and far more confiding in its 

 disposition, delighting to be caressed by all 

 persons who came into the house. But its 

 owner, the Municipal Judge of Ega, Dr. 

 Carlos Mariana, had treated it for many 

 weeks with the greatest kindness, allowing it 

 to sleep with him at night in his hammock, 

 and to nestle in his bosom half the day as he 

 lay reading. It was a great favorite with 

 every one, from the cleanliness of its habits 

 and the prettiness of its features and ways. 

 My own pet was kept in a box, in which 

 was placed a broad-mouthed glass jar ; mto 

 this it would dive, head-foremost, when any 

 one entered the room, turning round inside, 

 and thrusting forth its inquisitive face an 

 instant afterward to stare at the intruder. 

 Ij was very active at night, venting at f n*- 



