50 WILD BEASTS OF THE WORLD 



in hollows in trees. Its cry is a rather bird-like twitter. It is not 

 very commonly seen in confinement, but it makes a most charming 

 pet, its chief drawback being that it is so very shy and difficult to 

 tame, although it is said to be very intelligent. 



As a general rule it has been the custom to treat these as animals 

 requiring much warmth, but lately that well-known amateur, Mrs. 

 Johnstone, who has been particularly successful with rare and re- 

 markable birds, such as Birds of Paradise, has recorded that she 

 keeps these little Monkeys with great success in a place like an 

 aviary, with a warmed indoor compartment, and a netted outdoor 

 one, to which they have access at will during the day. The animals 

 here are in beautiful condition and full coat, but their home is 

 situated in the south of England and has a southerly exposure. 



Wherever such creatures are kept, it is important to bear in mind 

 that they are to a great extent animal feeders, and to treat them 

 accordingly. The Lion Marmoset has bred in captivity, but I do not 

 know of any case in which the young have been reared successfully as 

 yet. They are two in number, this being the rule among Marmosets, 

 and forming one of the distinctions between them and the higher 

 Monkeys. 



The present species is about the largest of the Marmoset group, 

 which, as a rule, do not exceed our Squirrel in size, and are sometimes 

 even smaller, as in the case of the Pigmy Marmoset (Hapale pygmcea), 

 which is not so big as a Rat, and is thus the smallest monkey known. 

 It has also the widest range of all the American monkeys, ranging from 

 Brazil up into Mexico, whereas most of the Marmosets, about a score in 

 number, are found in Central and Southern America. The Pigmy is 

 a soberly-coloured little creature, being simply light-brown, with the 

 tail ringed with black the latter a common marking among Marmosets, 

 though never found in any other Monkeys. 



In general form, appearance, and habits, the Marmosets are very 

 similar, being all small animals with squirrel-like paws, and often very 

 squirrel-like actions, for in most cases they prefer to run along and 

 round the large branches and trunks instead of climbing about in the 



