HOWLERS AND WEEPERS. 239 



the careless sentinels are tried by a council of elders, and, if 

 found guilty, they are tied to a tree and soundly whipped. 



10. " No less remarkable is their method of crossing 

 streams which they encounter in the forest. The strong- 

 est of the party climbs to the spreading branches of some 

 tree projecting over the stream. He then twists his tail 

 firmly around a branch, and, letting his body hang be- 

 low, seizes upon the tail of the next, and so on until a 

 long chain is formed. By pushing, as in a swing, the 

 living pendulum sweeps across the stream, the last monk- 

 ey seizing a branch on the other side. On this bridge 

 the whole troop passes, and the members which formed 

 the bridge are helped over or pulled through by their 

 companions. Sometimes one or more lose their lives, 

 which has given rise to a proverb, ' It is the last monkey 

 that is drowned.' 



11. " Sagacious as these animals are, it is easy to en- 

 trap them. One of the simplest ways is to cut a number 

 of holes in a gourd, barely large enough to admit the 

 monkey's hand. The gourd is then filled with corn and 

 fastened to the trunk of a tree. Shaking the gourd is a 

 dinner-bell for the monkeys, who no sooner hear the sound 

 than they descend in great numbers to secure the prize. 

 Each in turn thrusts his hand into the gourd and grasps 

 a handful of corn. But in vain do they struggle to with- 

 draw their hands without giving up the prize ; and at this 

 moment the trapper makes his appearance, and, tying 

 their hands, carries them off to his cottage in the woods." 



12. Another naturalist gives this account of a pet 

 spider-monkey which accompanied him on his journey : 

 " Jerry was a favorite with all, and in all respects fared 

 like ourselves. Its favorite food was farina, boiled rice, 

 and bananas. A raw egg was a choice morsel, and, on 

 being given to it, it broke one end by gently knocking it 



