Chap. V. PET MONKEYS. 317 



godson. These monkeys, although sleeping by day, are 

 aroused by the least noise ; so that, when a person 

 passes by a tree in which* a number of them are con- 

 cealed, he is startled by the sudden apparition of a 

 group of little striped faces crowding a hole in the trunk. 

 It was in this way that my compadre discovered the 

 colony from which the one given to me was taken. I 

 was obliged to keep my pet chained up ; it therefore 

 never became thoroughly familiar. I once saw, how- 

 ever, an individual of the other species (N. felinus) 

 which was most amusingly tame. Jt was as lively and 

 nimble as the Cebi, but not so mischievous and far 

 more confiding in its disposition, delighting to be 

 caressed by all persons who came into the house. But 

 its owner, the Municipal Judge of Ega, Dr. Carlos 

 Mariana, had treated it for many weeks with the 

 greatest kindness, allowing it to sleep with him at night 

 in his hammock, and to nestle in his bosom half the day 

 as he lay reading. It was a great favourite with every 

 one, from the cleanliness of its habits and the prettiness 

 of its features and ways. My own pet was kept in a box, 

 in which was placed a broad-mouthed glass jar ; into this 

 it would dive, head foremost, when any one entered the 

 room, turning round inside, and thrusting forth its inqui- 

 sitive face an instant afterwards to stare at the intruder. 

 It was very active at night, venting at frequent intervals 

 a hoarse cry, like the suppressed barking of a dog, and 

 scampering about the room, to the length of its tether, 

 after cockroaches and spiders. In climbing between the 

 box and the wall, it straddled the space, resting its 

 hands on the palms and tips of the outstretched fingers 



