THE SQUIRREL-MONKEYS 



169 



of the hinder occipital region of the skull, which projects backwards behind the 

 neck in a manner unknown in any other monkey. Other characteristic points 

 are to be found in the relatively large size of the tusks or canine teeth, and 

 also the comparatively short hair clothing the tail. The squirrel-monkeys, or 

 saimir, as they were called by Buffon, also differ from the douroucoulis by their 

 diurnal habits. 



THE COMMON SQUIRREL-MONKEY. 

 (One-fourth natural size.) 



The common squirrel-monkey (C. sciurea) is far the best-known 



representative of the genus ; it is an inhabitant of Brazil and the 



M . valley of the Orinoco. It is a small animal, not much larger than a 



squirrel, with the head grizzled gray, tending to blackish, and the 



hairs of the fur of the body also gray, with a black mottling, but more or less 



tinged with gold in the region of the back. The outer sides of the fore-arms are 



yellowish, the paws whitish, and the long and slender tail tipped at the end with 



black. 



Writing of this species, the traveler Humboldt observes that no other monkey 

 has so much the physiognomy of a child ; it exhibits a similar expression of inno- 

 cence, a similar playful smile, and a similar sudden change from joy to sorrow, or 

 vice versd. When seized with fear its eyes are suddenly suffused with tears. The 



