MONKEY. 



Columbia. Its covering consists of a number of 

 colours, of which the distribution is similar to that in 

 some of the rest, but the colours themselves are very 

 different. 



There are various other species of sapajous, which 

 have been described from their colours, and figured, 

 and recorded in systematic classifications ; but, upon 

 careful examination, we are disposed to conclude that 

 the greater number, if not all of them, are accidental 

 varieties, or varieties arising from differences of colour, 

 to which these animals are subject in the different 

 sexes and at different stages of their existence. These 

 differences of colour arc very considerable, and in 

 some instances extend as far as absolute albinoism, 

 specimens of a perfectly white colour being occa- 

 sionally met with. In all these, however, there is 

 really no instruction to those who wish to study 

 natural history in a popular manner, or even for use- 

 ful purposes ; because the manners of the sapajous, 

 in all the varieties of their appearance, are so much 

 alike, that, when one is studied, all may be said to be 

 studied ; and any one who knows the weeper monkey, 

 which is so very common, can be at no loss to under- 

 stand all the rest. The sapajous with hairy tails, or the 

 genus Cebus of the systematic naturalists, may be 

 regarded as holding the same place in the zoology of 

 America as the monkeys hold in that of the east. Like 

 these, they are by far the most numerous in their lo- 

 cality. There is, however, a remarkable difference be- 

 tween them in the superior gentleness of disposition of 

 the sapajous of America over the monkeys of the other 

 continent, with what genus soever of those monkeys 

 we compare them. The howling and spider monkeys 

 bear a similar resemblance to the climbing apes of 

 the eastern continent ; and it is not a little remarkable, 

 that though Africa intervenes between the proper 

 locality of those eastern and western animals, there 

 is nothing in the west approaching so nearly to the 

 cJiimpansce and the baboons of Africa as the naked- 

 tailed monkey of America does to the apes of the east. 

 No satisfactory conclusion can, however, in the pre- 

 sent state of our knowledge, be drawn from these 

 discrepancies, and the natural history of America 

 must be worked out upon its own data. This is true, 

 not only of the individual races of animals, but of the 

 succession of races ; and in the progress from the 

 most dexterous of the handed animals to the most 

 terrestrial of the rodentia, we have to pass through 

 very different gradations in the one continent from 

 those which we have to pass through in the other. 

 The sapajous with the tails entirely hairy may be 

 considered as the last link in those American monkeys 

 which are chiefly, or almost exclusively, tree animals ; 

 and we come next to those which have been termed 

 ground monkeys, though of course even they still 

 continue to possess a considerable degree of the 

 climbing character ; and indeed, if this were not the 

 case, hands would be given to them in vain, for the 

 chief and proper action of these hands on animals is 

 climbing. 



SAGOUINS {Geopitheci). These are the ground 

 monkeys of America, and, though various naturalists 

 have confounded them with the hairy-tailed sapajous, 

 they are perfectly distinct. The tail, though often 

 proportionally longer than in the others, is never 

 prehensile. No doubt the animals are capable of 

 moving it, because every lengthened tail is capable of 

 motion and flexure in the different parts ; but, though 

 some of the sagouins do often coil the long tail round 



NAT. HIST. VOL. Ill, 



other substances, as well as round their own bodie?, 

 they never make use of it as a hand, or suspend thorn 

 selves by it, as is the case with even the hairy-tailed 

 sapujous. These animals have the body long and 

 slender, bearing a very slight resemblance to that of 

 the marten family ; their fur is soft, and the tail 

 entirely covered with it ; the nails on the fingers are 

 not formed into absolute claws, but they are narrow, 

 rounded upwards in the middle, and rather pointed, 

 something intermediate, in short, between nails pro- 

 perly so called and claws ; the eyes of these animals 

 are also larger in proportion than those of the former 

 genera ; and the whole structure indicates a lurking 

 animal, having at least a dash of predatory disposition 

 in if. This appears to correspond with the habit in 

 so far as the habit is known ; for, as individuals of 

 this species, when in a state of confinement, are very 

 fond of animal substances, including raw flesh among 

 the rest, we very naturally suppose that they are dis- 

 posed to kill, in a state of nature, any animal they 

 can master. It is not a little remarkable that, in the 

 handed animals of both continents, the strongest, 

 species, and those which are most ferocious in their 

 dispositions, should be the most exclusively vegetable 

 in their feeding ; and yet such seems to be the case. 

 The handed animals of the east may be said to merge 

 in the loris, and these, notwithstanding the slowness 

 of their motions, are nocturnal animals which prey 

 upon birds. It is highly probable that birds are also, 

 occasionally at least, made the prey of the American 

 ones, for there are not many mammalia in that country 

 which they could master. Those who reflect upon 

 it will easily perceive that it is not a swift animal, 

 which bustles along, but one moving silently and 

 stealthily, which is best adapted for being a nocturnal 

 bird-catcher. Night is the time of repose with by 

 far the greater number of birds ; and a wingless 

 animal which is to capture them at this time musi 

 come upon them so softly as not to give them 

 notice of its coming, otherwise they would take to 

 the wing and escape. There are indeed other enemies 

 of the tropical birds, which are most in motion 

 during the day, namely, the snake tribes ; but they 

 are animals of very considerable resource, and mosl 

 of them capable of darting upon their prey with equal 

 rapidity and certainty. The sagouins, and animals 

 of similar habits, on the other hand, come by stealth 

 upon their prey. They are not so much found in the 

 lofty forests as the others, though they are still 

 dexterous as tree animals ; and during the day thev 

 lurk much among the bushes and in the holes of the 

 rocks, while those of the former families are chiefly 

 found in the trees. It is for this reason that they are 

 called Geojnt/icci, or ground apes ; and, though the 

 genera into which they are conveniently divided differ 

 considerably, there are common characters which 

 belong to all the divisions. They have the head 

 rounded, and the brain well developed, both of which 

 circumstances are considered as indicating a cor- 

 responding share of intelligence in their possessor. 

 The eyes are fitted for nocturnal vision, and during 

 the day the animals remain in their places of conceal- 

 ment. The facial angle is sixty degrees, but though 

 this is large, the approach in appearance to the 

 human face is not so great as in some species which 

 have the facial angle smaller ; for the whole have 

 something of a cat-like look. The nostrils are large 

 and open, and directed towards the sides ; the car-; 

 are also open, and in some species, at least they are 



