SAGACITY OF THE TITI MONKEY. 199 



till after a long period. It has been supposed that 

 this usage prevents the Indians from being stung by 

 insects ; but this was found to be incorrect. The 

 preference given by the American tribes to the red 

 colour, Humboldt supposes to be owing to the tend- 

 ency which nations feel to attribute the idea of 

 beauty to whatever characterizes their national 

 complexion. 



The encampment of Pararuma also afforded the 

 travellers an opportunity of examining several ani- 

 mals they had not before seen alive, and which the 

 Indians brought to exchange with the missionaries 

 for fish-hooks and other necessaries. Among these 

 specimens were gallitoes, or rock-manakins, mon- 

 keys of different species, of which the titi or Simia 

 sciurea seems to have been a special favourite with 

 Humboldt. He mentions a very interesting fact 

 illustrative of the sagacity of this creature. One 

 which he had purchased of the natives distinguished 

 the different plates of a work on natural history so 

 well, that when an engraving which contained zoo- 

 logical representations was placed before it, it rapidly 

 advanced its little hand to catch a grasshopper or a 

 wasp ; which was the more remarkable as the 

 figures were not coloured. Humboldt observes, that 

 he never heard of any the most perfect picture of 

 hares or deer producing the least effect upon a 

 hound, and doubts if there be a well-ascertained ex- 

 ample of a dog having recognised a full-length por- 

 trait of its master. 



The canoe which they had procured was forty- 

 two feet long and three broad. The missionary of 

 Atures and Maypures had offered to accompany 

 them as far as the frontiers of Brazil, and made pre- 

 parations for the voyage. Two Indians who were 

 to form part of the crew were chained during the 

 night to prevent their escape ; and on the morning 

 of the 10th the company set out. The vessel was 

 found to be extremely incommodious. To gain 



