MARMOSETS 35 



confinement their digestive organs are easily disturbed, and 

 they seldom, if ever, live to reach maturity. 



THE FAMILY OF MARMOSETS 



Callithricidae 



Lowest in the scale of all the American monkeys, and in 

 fact next to the lemurs, we find a collection of small and odd- 

 looking creatures, some of which are so strangely formed that 

 often it is necessary to state that they belong to the Order 

 of Apes and Monkeys. This is the Family of Marmosets, 

 the members of which are distributed variously from southern 

 Mexico to southern Brazil. They are frequently found in 

 the stores of animal dealers, and by ladies who have abundant 

 time for their care are often prized as household pets. But 

 they are very delicate, and do not long endure the strain of 

 being on public exhibition. Their market price varies from 

 $3.50 to $8. 



Without exception these are all very small, delicately 

 formed creatures, with hairless faces, eyes that are large and 

 bright, and long tails. Their hair is long, abundant, and 

 silky, and in some species it stands up on the top of the head 

 like a white ruff. As these frail little creatures perch motion- 

 less in their cages, and focus their brown eyes upon the visitor, 

 they seem more like little toys than living animals of Man's 

 own Order. They are really very odd, picturesque, and inter- 

 esting. 



The Pinche Marmoset 1 is a good representative of this 

 group. It comes from the United States of Colombia, is 



1 Mi'das aed'i-pus. 



