204 ALLEN'S NATURALIST'S LIBRARY. 



THE CAPUCHINS AND SPIDER-MONKEYS. 

 SUB-FAMILY CEBIN^E. 



We now come to describe the remaining Monkeys of the New 

 World. The Cebina are characterised by having the incisors 

 vertical, not procumbent ; they have no inflated hyoid bone as 

 in the foregoing Sub-family. The tail in all is long and pre- 

 hensile, although in some species it is a less perfect grasping 

 organ, being clothed with hair to the tip, instead of being 

 there naked and highly sensitive. The thumb may be present 

 or absent. 



This Sub-family contains four genera : the Capuchins (Cebus}; 

 The Woolly Monkeys (Lagothrix); the Woolly Spider-Monkeys 

 (Ertodes); and the Spider-Monkeys (Atetes}. The species 

 belonging to these genera are very numerous, and are found 

 over the whole region from Mexico in the north, to Paraguay 

 and Bolivia in the south, or from about 25 N. lat, to 30 

 S. lat. 



THE CAPUCHINS. GENUS CEBUS. 

 Cebus, Erxleb., Syst. Regne Anim., p. 44 (1777). 



This is the typical genus of the American Monkeys. They 

 are distinguished by having a robust body, covered with woolly 

 fur, with a rounded head and a face which, instead of having a 

 protruding muzzle, is more erect and Man-like. They are the 

 commonest Monkeys seen in captivity in our streets. Their 

 tail is long and covered with hair to the tip, and, though pre- 

 hensile, it is not the perfect substitute for an additional hand 

 noticed in several other genera. Their limbs are only 

 moderately long, and are less slender than in the Spider- 

 Monkeys. The fore-limbs have a well-developed thumb, 

 which, as compared with the length of the hand, is the most 



