IOO 



THE PINCHE. 



its house well furnished with soft and warm bedding, which it piles up in a corner, 

 and under which it delights to hide itself. 



The Marmosets do not seem to be possessed of a very large share of intelligence, 

 but yet are engaging little creatures if kindly treated. They are very fond of flies and 

 other insects, and will often take a fly from the hand of the visitor. One of these animals 

 with whom I struck up an acquaintance, took great pleasure in making me catch flies for 

 its use, and taking them daintily out of my hand. When it saw my hand sweep over a 

 doomed fly, the bright eyes sparkled with eager anticipation ; and when I approached the 

 cage, the little creature thrust its paw through the bars as far as the wires would permit, and 

 opened and closed the tiny fingers with restless impatience. It then insinuated its 

 hand among my closed fingers, and never failed to find and to capture the imprisoned 

 fly. 



When properly tamed, the Marmoset will come and sit on its owner's hand, its little 

 paws clinging tightly to his fingers, and its tail coiled over his hand or wrist. Or it 

 will clamber up his arm and sit on his shoulders, or, if chilly, hide itself beneath his 

 coat, or even creep into a convenient pocket. 



The Marmoset has a strange liking for hair, and is fond of playing with the locks of 

 its owner. One of these little creatures, which was the property of a gentleman adorned 

 with a large bushy beard, was wont to creep to its master's face, and to nestle among the 

 thick masses of beard which decorated his chin. Another Marmoset, which belonged 

 to a lady, and which was liable to the little petulances of its race, used to vent its anger 

 by nibbling the end of her ringlets. If the hair were bound round her head, the curious 

 little animal would draw a tress down, and bite its extremity, as if it were trying to eat 

 the hair by degrees. The same individual was possessed of an accomplishment which is 

 almost unknown among these little monkeys, namely, standing on its head. 



Generally, the Marmoset preserves silence ; but if alarmed or irritated, it gives vent 

 to a little sharp whistle, from which it has gained its name of Ouistiti. It is sufficiently 

 active when in the enjoyment of good health, climbing and leaping about from bar to bar 

 with an agile quickness that reminds the observer of a squirrel. 



Its food is both animal and vegetable in character ; the animal portion being chiefly 

 composed of various insects, eggs, and, it may be, an occasional young bird, and the vege- 

 table diet ranging through most of the edible fruits. A tame Marmoset has been known 

 to pounce upon a living gold fish, and to eat it. In consequence of this achievement, 

 some young eels were given to the animal, and at first terrified it by their strange 

 writhings, but in a short time they were mastered, and eaten. 



Cockroaches are a favorite article of food with the Marmoset, who might be put to 

 good service in many a house. In eating these troublesome insects, the Marmoset nips 

 off the head, wings, and bristly legs, eviscerates the abdomen, and so prepares the 

 insect before it is finally eaten. These precautions, however, are only taken when the 

 cockroach is one of the larger specimens, the smaller insects being eaten up at once, 

 without any preparation whatever. 



Several instances of the birth of young Marmosets have taken place in Europe, but 

 the young do not seem to thrive well in these climates. The color of the young 

 animal is a dusky gray, without the beautiful markings which distinguish them when 

 adult, and the tail is destitute of hair. 



The length of the full-grown Marmoset is from seven to eight inches, exclusive of 

 the tail, which measures about a foot. 



The two elegant little animals which are represented in the preceding page are 

 members of the same genus as the Marmoset, inhabitants of nearly the same localities, 

 and possessed of many similar qualities. 



The PINCHE is remarkable for the tuft of white and long hair which it bears on its 

 head, and which is so distinctly marked, that the little creature almost seems to be 

 wearing an artificial head of hair. The throat, chest, abdomen, and arms, are also 

 white, and the edges of the thighs are touched with the same tint. On each shoulder there 

 is a patch of reddish-chestnut, fading imperceptibly into the white fur of the chest, and the 

 grayish brown hair that covers the remainder of the body. Its eyes are quite black. 



The tail of the animal is long and moderately full ; its color slightly changes from 



