MONKEYS 5 



surface with which it is in contact. The tail itself is a 

 very powerful organ, and is capable of curling its own 

 end so firmly round an object that the animal's whole 

 body can thus be safely suspended. A tail of this 

 kind is called a " prehensile tail." Xot every American 

 monkey has it, but no monkey which is not American 

 possesses anything of the kind. Its possession must 

 greatly add to the security and ease of locomotion of 

 any forest-dwelling beast. An amusing illustration of 

 the widespread ignorance which exists as to such 

 matters, and also of the use of the imagination in a 

 way not strictly scientific, occurred with reference 

 to the Prince of Wales's visit to India some years ago. 

 Among other places of interest the Prince visited was 

 the Temple of Monkeys at Benares. His visit was 

 duly depicted in one of the illustrated journals, and 

 no doubt with scrupulous fidelity in all those points to 

 which the artist directed his attention. Nevertheless, 

 these monkeys are represented as having prehensile 

 tails ; which is about as accurate as would be a picture 

 of a fox-hunt by a supposed eye-witness, wherein the 

 hounds should be i-epresented each with a fox's brush for 

 tail, Reynard himself ])earing the curly caudal appendage 

 of a thoroughbred pug. 



But it is not only in form and structure that American 

 monkeys are distinguished, but also in quickness of intel- 

 ligence and gentleness of disposition. 



At least many of those large animals, tlie spider 

 monkeys, are singularly gentle, and such is especially the 

 case with the little squirrel monkeys — perhaps the most 

 attractive of the whole order to which they belong. As 

 to intelligence, it is the commoner monkeys of South 

 America, the sapajous, whereof itinerant Italians love 

 to make use for tricks and performances. We can vouch 



