HISTORY OF QUADRUPEDS. 473 



to each. The Sapajou is furnished with a pre- 

 hensile tail, the under part of which is generally 

 covered with a smooth naked skin: the animal can 

 coil it up or extend it at pleasure, suspend itself by 

 its extremity on the branches of trees, or use it as 

 a hand to lay hold of any thing it wants. The 

 tails of all the Sagoins, on the contrary, are longer 

 than those of the Sapajous, straight, flaccid, and 

 entirely covered with hair. This difference alone is 

 sufficient to distinguish a Sapajou from a Sagoin. 



We now proceed to the history and description 

 of the most remarkable of this numerous race. 



THE PREACHER. 



(Si mia Beelzebub, Linn. L' Ouarme, Buff.) 



Is the largest of all the American Monkies, being 

 about the size of a large Fox. Its body is covered 

 with long smooth hair, of a shining black colour, 

 forming a kind of ruff round the animal's neck: its 

 tail is long, and always twisted at the end. 



Great numbers of these Monkies inhabit the 

 woods of Brazil and Guiana; and from the noise 

 they make, are called Howling Monkies. Several 

 of them assemble together; and placing themselves 

 in a kind of regular order, one of them begins first 

 with a loud tone, which may be heard to a great 

 distance; the rest soon join in a general chorus, 

 the most dissonant and hideous that can be con- 

 ceived : on a sudden they all stop, except the first, 

 who finishes singly; and the assembly breaks up. 



These Monkies are said to be very fierce, and so 

 wild and mischievous, that they can neither be con- 



VOL. III. 3 O 



