THE MONKEY TRIBE 235 



that is naturally amiable, whose temper has not 

 been soured by ill-treatment. When washed 

 and brushed every day, the spider monkey be- 

 comes really beautiful, and his golden-brown 

 coat silky to the touch. He readily learns to 

 walk on two feet, or hands, which makes him 

 about two feet tall, and he has so many ways 

 of expressing his mind that he may be almost 

 said to talk. 



The only objection to the spider monkey is 

 his size. He is rather large for a home pet ; 

 but hundreds of smaller ones are brought to 

 our seaport cities every year, and may at any 

 time be bought of the dealers in beasts and 

 birds. There is not one of them, I believe, 

 unless his temper has been sorely tried by 

 abuse, who will not be easily tamed by kind- 

 ness and care, and become a source of great 

 pleasure to his keeper. 



As I said, this restless creature should never 

 be caged ; but it is necessary to have some 

 way of limiting his range, and perhaps the 

 least irksome is by a light chain, not heavy 

 enough to be a burden, and long enough to 

 give him some liberty. Changing his place 

 from time to time, now attaching his chain to 



