SPIDER-MONKEYS. 415 



proceedings in the world below. Sometimes a whole colony 

 may thus be seen, when the native huntsman, approaching 

 with his deadly blow-pipe, can without difficulty pick them 

 off one by one, and secure his prey. But let them be 

 alarmed, and away they go through the forest, swinging 

 themselves from bough to bough, at a rate which no other 

 creature, without wings, can exceed. 



In the spider -monkeys, the tail, as a prehensile organ, 

 reaches its highest degree of perfection, and they may there- 

 fore be considered as the extreme development of the Ameri- 

 can type of apes. Their tails are endowed with the most 

 wonderful degree of flexibility. They are always in motion — 

 except when the animal is perfectly at rest — coiling and un- 

 coiling themselves, like the trunks of elephants, seeking to 

 grasp, apparently, whatever comes within their reach. 



The coaita can apply its tail to all sorts of uses. So deli- 

 cate is its touch, that one would almost think it possessed the 

 power of sight. Should it discover a nest of eggs or any 

 creature in a crevice too small for its paw to enter, it inserts 

 the end of its tail and hooks out the tit-bit. 



The animal is of considerable size, and is covered with 

 coarse black hair — with the exception of the face, parts of which 

 are of a tawny flesh-coloured hue. There are various species, 

 each of which has its peculiar district ; and they vary slightly 

 in appearance. 



In the neighbourhood of Obydos, the Ateles paniscus has 

 its abode ; while in the Upper Amazon the white-whiskered 

 coaita (Ateles marginatus) takes its place. It is remarkable 

 that animals which apparently have the means of moving 

 without difficulty at a rapid rate in any direction should tluis 

 be confined to particular localities. 



