316 ANIMALS OF EGA. Chap. V. 



and eat fruits only in the night. They are of small 

 size, the body being about a foot long, and the tail four- 

 teen inches, and are thickly clothed with soft grey and 

 brown fur, similar in substance to that of the rabbit. 

 Their ph}'siognomy reminds one of an owl, or tiger-cat : 

 the face is round and encircled by a ruff of whitish fur ; 

 the muzzle is not at all prominent; the mouth and chin 

 are small ; the ears are very short, scarcely appearing 

 above the hair of the head ; and the eyes are large and 

 yellowish in colour, imparting the staring expression of 

 nocturnal animals of prey. The forehead is whitish, and 

 decorated with three black stripes, which in one of the 

 species (Nyctipithecus trivirgatus) continue to the crown, 

 and in the other (N. felinus) meet on the top of the 

 forehead. N. trivirgatus was first described by Hum- 

 boldt, who discovered it on the banks of the Cassiquiare, 

 near the head waters of the Rio Negro. 



One cannot help being struck by this curious modifi- 

 cation of the American type of monkeys, for the owl- 

 faced night-apes have evidently sprung from the same 

 stock as the rest of the Cebidaa, as they do not differ 

 much in all essential points from the Whaiapu-sais 

 (Callithrix), and the Sai-miris (Chrysothrix). They have 

 nails of the ordinary form to all their fingers, and semi- 

 opposable thumbs ; but the molar teeth (contrary to 

 what is usual in the Cebidse) are studded with sharp 

 points, showing that their natural food is principally 

 insects. 



I kept a pet animal of the N. trivirgatus for many 

 months, a young one having been given to me by an 

 Indian compadre, as a present from my newly-bajDtised 



