514 THE TROPICAL WORLD. 



The elegant ease of their movements, tJieir soft fur, the 

 large size of their brilliant eyes, and their little round face, 

 entitle the Saimiris to be called the most graceful of monkeys. 

 On speaking to them for some time, they listen with great 

 attention, and soon lay their tiny hand upon the speaker's 

 mouth, as if to catch the words as they pass through his lips. 

 They recognise the objects represented in an engraving even 

 when not coloured, and endeavour to seize the pictured fruits 

 or insects. The latter, and particularly spiders, which they 

 catch most dexterously with their lips or hands, seem to be 

 their favourite food. The weak little creatures are very fond 

 of being carried about by larger monkeys, and cling fast to 

 their back. At first the animal to which they thus attach 

 themselves endeavours to get rid of its burden, but finding it 

 impossible, it soon becomes reconciled to its fate, and after a 

 short time an intimate affection arises between them, so that 

 when the saimiri is busy chasing insects, his friend, before 

 leaving the spot, first gives him notice by a gentle cry. 



The habits of the Nyctopitheci, or nocturnal monkeys, bear 

 a great resemblance to those of tlie bats or flying foxes. The 

 shy and quiet little animals sleep by day, concealed in the 

 dense thickets of the foresi:. Their eye and motions are 

 completely feline. Those which Von Martins observed in his 

 collection, crept by day into a corner of the cage, but after 

 sunset their agility made up for their dim-nal torpor. 



In Gruiana, SchomTaurgk met with the Nycti'pithecus trivir- 

 gatus as a domestic animal. ' A very neat little monkey, shy 

 of light as the owl or tbe bat. A small round head, extremely 

 large yellow eyes, shining in the dark stronger than those of 

 the cat, and tiny short ears, give it a peculiarly comical 

 appearance. When disturbed in its diurnal sleep and dragged 

 forth to the light, its helpless movements excite compassion ; 

 it gropes about as if blind, and lays hold of the first object that 

 comes within its reach, often pressing its face against it to 

 escape the intolerable glare. The darkest corner of the hut is 

 its seat of predilection, where it lies during day in a perfect 

 asphyxia, from which it can only be roused by blows. But 

 soon after sunset it leaves its retreat, and then it is impossible 

 to see a more lively, active, and merry creature. From ham- 

 mock it springs to hammock, generally licking the faces of the 



