MONKEYS. 309 



expressed his chagrin, by maliciously capsizing tlic vessel, 

 distributing its contents over the steward. Among other 

 species was the little spider-monkey, or ateles, the smallest, 

 most beautiful, and interesting of all the monkey-tribes. 

 Its expression bears a startling resemblance to that of a 

 cliild, and seems almost as indicative of emotion as the 

 human countenance. They are very sensitive to cold, and, 

 upon the lowering of the temperature, if but a few de- 

 grees, they may be seen interlocking their long, slender 

 arms and tails, forming a very cozy-looking heap. One 

 of the favorite pasthnes of monkeys ffe to search one another 

 for parasites; the parent, with its offspring between its 

 legs, carefully examines it for any thing of a parasitical 

 nature, and, when successful, gives evidence of apparent 

 gratification. 



The day following our departure from Manaos, w'e 

 passed the mouth of the Madeira, which, after a course of 

 two thousand miles, pours its vast volume of water into 

 the Amazons, yet without causing much appreciable in- 

 crease either in its width or in tlie strength of its current. 

 Below the Madeira, the aspect of the Amazons w^as changed 

 by the great number of floating patches of grass, brought 

 down by that tributary, which was now SAVollen from the 

 rains of the wet season that was advancing from the 

 south. These tropical rivers are often fringed with wide 

 borders of aquatic vegetation, wdiich, at the time of high 

 water, are torn away, and floated in vast meadoAV-like 

 islands down the current. 



This leads us to sj^eak of the rise and fall of the rivers 

 of the Amazonian Valley. They are not all subject to 

 rises at the same time ; for so great is the breadth of the 

 valley, and so widely separated are the head-waters of the 

 northern and southern tributaries, upon opposite sides of 

 the equatorial line, that the periodical rains of the tropics 

 are felt upon the one set of afllucnts several months be- 



