HOWLERS AND WEEPERS. 



by a membrane, wide- 

 ly opened by the 

 limbs, which serves 

 as a parachute, assist- 

 ing it to spring from 

 tree to tree. It is 

 not able to maintain 

 itself in the air, and 

 hence is not a true 

 flier. Its length is 

 about eighteen inch- 

 es, and it sleeps dur- 

 ing the day, in low 

 hills, which it chooses 

 for its dwelling-place. The Fl>jin(J Lemur ' 



These lemurs feed upon fruits and young leaves, and prey 

 upon plantations of cocoa and palm. 



CHAPTER XXXIX. 



HOWLERS AND WEEPERS OF AMAZONIAN FORESTS. 



1. SOUTH AMERICA may be said to be noted as the 

 home of the monkey tribe. The great forests of the trop- 

 ical regions are filled with the cries, yells, and roarings, 

 by night and by day, of countless troops of these quadru- 

 mana, roaming through the tree-tops. Some of the fami- 

 lies are diurnal and some nocturnal, and so the noises 

 never cease. They embrace all sizes, from the big howler 

 down to the tiny marmoset, not larger than a flying-squir- 

 rel. They all possess a degree of intelligence and cunning 

 somewhat akin to that of the human species. Nearly all 

 have prehensile tails, which give them the advantage of a 



