9 8 



THE DOUROUCOULI. 



Indeed among the many names which have been given to the Cacajao, one of them, 

 " Mono Rabon," or short-tailed Mono, refers to this peculiarity. On account of the very 

 short tail, and the general aspect of the animal, the Cacajao is supposed by some 

 naturalists to be the American representative of the Magot. 



The head of the creature is not only remarkable for its black hue, but for its shape, 

 which instead of being rounded, as is the case with most monkeys, is slightly flattened 

 at the temples. The general color of the fur is a bright yellowish-brown, the only 

 exceptions being the head and the fore-paws, which are black. The ears are devoid of 

 hair, are very large in proportion to the size of the animal, and have something of the 

 human character about them. The length of the head and body is said to reach nearly 

 two feet in full-grown animals, and the tail is from three to five inches long according to 

 the size of the individual. 



Very little is known of the habits of the Cacajao in a wild state, but in captivity it 

 bears the character of being a very inactive and very docile animal. Fruits seem to be 

 its favorite diet, and when eating them it has a habit of bending over its food in a very 

 peculiar attitude. It is not so adroit in handling objects as are the generality of monkeys, 

 and seems to feel some difficulty in the management of its long and slender fingers, so 

 that its manner of eating is rather awkward than otherwise. 



Among the names by which this monkey is known, we may mention, " Mono-feo," 

 or Hideous Monkey, Chucuto, Chucuzo, and Caruiri. The term " Melanocephala" 

 signifies Black-headed, while the word " Leucocephala," which is applied to the Yarke, 

 signifies White-headed. 



It seems to be a timid, as well as a quiet animal, as a Cacajao which had been 

 domesticated displayed some alarm at the sight of several small monkeys of its own 

 country, and trembled violently when a lizard or a serpent was brought before its eyes. 

 The localities where it is most generally found are the forests which border the Rio 

 Negro and the Cassiquiare, but it does not seem to be very plentiful even in its own 

 land. 



The term " Nyctipithecus," or Night-monkey, which is used as the generic title of the 



DOUROUCOULI, refers to its habits, 

 which are more strictly nocturnal 

 than those of the animals heretofore 

 mentioned. The eyes of this little 

 creature are so sensitive to light, 

 that it cannot endure the glare of 

 day, and only awakes to activity and 

 energy when the shades of night 

 throw their welcome veil over the 

 face of nature. 



In its wild state, it seeks the shelter 

 of some hollow tree or other dark- 

 ened place of refuge, and there a- 

 bides during the hours of daylight, 

 buried in a slumber so deep, that it 

 can with difficulty be aroused, even 

 though the rough hand of its captor 

 drag it from its concealment. Dur- 

 ing sleep it gathers all its four feet 

 closely together, and drops its head 

 between its fore-paws. It seems to 

 be one of the owls of the monkey 

 race. 



The food of this Douroucouli is mostly of an animal nature ; and consists chiefly of 

 insects and small birds, which it hunts and captures in the night season. After dark, the 

 Douroucouli awakes from the torpid lethargy in which it has spent the day, and shaking 

 off its drowsiness becomes filled with life and spirit. The large dull eyes, that shrank 

 from the dazzling rays of the sun light up with eager animation at eventide ; the listless 



DOUROUCOULI. Nyctipithecus Trlvorgatus.l 



