CLASS I. MAMMALIA: ORDER 2. QUADRUMANA. 



89 



THE WANDEROO MONKEY, OR NIL BANDAR. 



The monkeys of this genus, sometimes arranged with the Maeakes, resemble the Guenons, which 

 we have described ; they are, however, somewhat heavier in their form. They are of about the 

 same size, and, like them, confined to Africa. Their name of Mangabey was given by Buffon, 

 who imagined that they were found near Mangabey, in Madagascar. 



The Sooty Monkey, C.fuliginosus, has the upper parts of the body generally of a smoky gray : 

 the lower parts white. F. Cuvier, who had seen some of them in confinement, describes them as 

 docile and familiar, though often petulant. Constantly in motion, they assumed every variety of 

 attitude, sometimes the most grotesque. In their incessant and vivacious leaps, they grinned con- 

 stantly, as in a ludicrous laugh, always showing their long- incisor teeth. The females were more 

 calm and affectionate than the males. M. Is. Geoffroy considers the animal which had been called 

 the Great White Monkey — the C. atys of some authors — a specimen of which was in the Garden 

 of Plants, as an albino of the C.fuliginosus. 



The White-crow^ned Monkey, C. cethiops, its locality not ascertained, and the White-collared 

 Monkey, C. collaris, are the other best-known species of this genus. 



Genus MACACUS. — This term is said to be derived from the negroes of Congo, who denomi- 

 nate a species of monkey by the name of Macaco. It seems to .have been applied to an Asiatic 

 species by Buffon through mistake. The genus has been the theme of dispute with naturalists, 

 but it is now recognized as including several well-defined and distinct species. Their character- 

 istics are a thick, bony arch over the eyes, an elongated snout, nostrils opening obliquely on the 

 upper part of the muzzle, and the canine teeth strong and large. Some of the species are distin- 

 guished by crests or manes. They seem to approach the baboons. Swainson calls them Ape- 

 baboons ; and Pennant, the Lion-tailed baboons. Gervais divides them into three kinds, according 

 to their tails — some being- as Ions; as the body, some middling- and some short. 



The Wanderoo Monkey, M. silenus, has its hair deep black throughout, with the exception 

 of the long beard or mane, which descends on each side of the face in the form of a ruff, extend- 

 ing downward over the chest, and varying from an ash gray to a pure white. The upper part of 

 the face between the eyes is naked and flesh-colored ; the muzzle perfectly black ; cheek- pouches 

 large ; callosities of considerable size, and flesh-colored ; tail about half as long as the body, and 

 when perfect, which in captivity is not often the case, terminating in a brush of tufted hairs. It 

 is an inhabitant of the peninsula of India and Ceylon. M. Duvaucel saw the animal in the mena- 

 gerie at Barracpore, and states that the Indians give it the name of Nil-Bhndar. It lives in the 

 depths of the solitary forests, and feeds on leaves and vegetables. A young female in the Paris 

 Garden of Plants was gentle and affectionate, but some males were very mischievous. Father 

 Vincent Maria gives the following quaint account of this species : " There are found four sorts of 



Vol. I.— 12 



