490 THE MONKEY TRIBE. 



methodical slowness, and the suppleness of his movements, he 

 resembles the gibbons. Of all animals he alone has the biceps of the 

 thigh resembling that of man. He is fond of the society of his kind, 

 and mainly subsists on insects, small fish, and molluscs, which he 

 catches with all the address of a practised angler. Travellers affirm 

 that he frequently crosses the wide American rivers without descend- 

 ing to the ground. He and his comrades form a living chain, which 

 hangs suspended from a lofty branch, and, by a series of more or less 

 nimble movements, succeeds in hooking itself on to a tree on the other 

 side. This chain serves at first as a flying bridge for the whole troop ; 

 then it accomplishes its own passage, by detaching itself from its point 

 of suspension to fall back on the opposite bank. The tale, however, 

 has an improbable air about it, which makes a large demand on 

 the reader's belief. 



It is from South America, and notably from Brazil and Guiana, 

 that we import into Europe the apes most valued by our itinerant 

 mountebanks and by zoological amateurs, on account of their gentle- 

 ness, their domesticity, their intelligence, and their singular instinct 

 of imitation almost amounting to genius which renders them 

 wonderfully apt in the performance of all kinds of tricks and amusing 

 exercises. Nearly all these apes belong to the very numerous genus 

 of Sajous, or Sapajous. 



Thus we have the Squirrel Monkey (Callithrix sciurus), not 

 much larger than the animal whose name he bears, and infinitely 

 more nimble and diverting. He is of a bright golden yellow colour, 

 with feet and hands of a deeper yellow. His head is round, with a 

 blackish nose, and hairy ears. His tail is very long, and tipped with 

 black. The nails of his hands are flat, while those of his feet resemble 

 claws. 



The Ouistitis, which are frequently imported into Europe, are 

 very pretty animals, clad in a soft kind of fur, and with their ears 

 ornamented by long brush-like tufts of black or white hairs. They 

 are very easily tamed, are mild and intelligent, and, owing to their 

 small size, conveniently kept in apartments ; but they do not acclima- 



