HOWLERS AND WEEPERS. 235 



lie endeavored to push me aside ; but, too much enfeebled 

 by his wound, lay down and calmly resigned himself to 

 the gaze of my English companions, who discussed and 

 disputed about the division of his still panting body one 

 wanting the skin for a smoking-cap, and the drum of his 

 throat for the bowl of his pipe, while the other would be 

 contented with nothing less than the whole carcass. For 

 my own part, I only desired to get out of sight of the 

 dying creature ; and, shouldering my gun, departed in a 

 mood which determined me never again to lift my hand 

 against these innocent wild men of the woods." 



4. The largest of the South American monkeys is the 

 ursine howler, named from the loudness of his voice. 

 Wallace gives this description of it : " Often, in the great 

 forests of the Amazon or Orinoco, a tremendous noise is 

 heard in the night or early morning, as if a great assem- 

 blage of wild beasts were all roaring and screaming to- 

 gether. The noise may be heard for miles, and it is louder 

 and more piercing than that of any other animals ; yet it 

 is all produced by a single male howler, sitting on the 

 branch of some lofty tree. They are able to make this 

 noise by means of an organ possessed by no other animal. 



5. " The lower jaw is unusually deep, and this makes 

 room for a hollow, bony vessel, about the size of a large 

 walnut, situated under the root of the tongue, and having 

 an opening into the windpipe, by which the animal can 

 force air into it. This increases the power of its voice, 

 acting something like the hollow case of a violin, and 

 producing those marvelous, rolling sounds, which caused 

 Waterton to declare that they were such as might have 

 had their origin in the infernal regions. The howlers are 

 large and stout-bodied monkeys, with bearded faces, and 

 very strong and powerfully grasping tails. They inhabit 

 the wildest forests. They are very shy, and are seldom 



