SPIDER-MOXKEYS. 163 



River. Being at the time unable to procure other animal food, this enterprising 

 traveller was fain to trj-^ the flesh, and describes it as being the best-flavoured meat 

 he had ever tasted, although it was with difiiculty that he persuaded himself to 

 make the attempt. 



Brown Spider- Tliis species (^A. hyhridus) is a native of Colombia, and is of an 



Monkey. ashy-grey colour, sprinkled with black over the greater part of the 

 bod}- ; the fur being very soft, with a tendency' to cui-1, and mixed with a certain 

 number of long and stiff blackish hairs. Other parts, however, such as the crown 

 of the head, the fore-amis, the thiglis, and the greater part of the tail, are black ; 

 the face being blackish, ^vith white haii-s on the lip. The inside of the thigh and 

 upper arms are grej-ish. This monkey is but little known in Europe. 



Black Handed In Central America, northwards of the Istlimus of Darien, this 



Spider-Monkey, group of monkej's is represented b}' A. geotrroyi, noticeable as being 

 found at very high elevations. Tliis species, wliich is al.so known as A. inelanochiriLS, 

 is the black-handed spider-monkey, readilj- recognised by the hands, feet, and the 

 crown of the head being of a fuU black, while the fur of the bodj' is generally some 

 shade of pale or reddish-brown, although more rarely yellowish, or even yellowish- 

 white, and indeed extremely variable in coloration. It is commonl}'^ found on the 

 volcanic mountain known as Orizaba, near Vera Cruz, in the south of Mexico, 

 where it ranges up to an elevation of some two thou.sand feet, living in troops in 

 the forests of the deep valleys. In the neighboui-ing district of Oajaca it reaches, 

 however, to a height of four thousand feet. 



White-Bellied With the wliite-beUied spider-monkey (A. bdzebufh) of Bi-azil we 



Spider-Monkey, come to the fii^st of a gi'oup of two or tliree species of spider-monkejs, 

 distinguished from all those hitherto noticed b}- the under surface of the lx)dy 

 and the inner sides of the lower legs and fore-arms Ijeing wliite or gi-ejTsh-white. 

 The present species is verj- variable in colour, shading from black to reddish, with 

 the loins paler, and the under-parts and inside of the fore-arms, together with the 

 front of the thighs, the inner surface of the legs, and the under side of the tail, 

 whitish ; the hair being rather long, and somewhat limp. 



A Brazilian monkey, with rather longer hair and the under side of the tail 

 black, has been described as a distinct species, under the name of the long-haii-ed 

 spider-monkey (A. vellerosu-s) ; but it may more probably be regarded as a well- 

 marked variety of the species under consideration. These monkej's have been long 

 known, and were descrilied by CuWer under the name of Coaita a ventre Mane. 

 Besides inhabiting Brazil, they were met with by Hmnboldt on the Orinoco. They 

 are stated to assemble in considerable troops. 



The Variegated Spider-Moxkev {Ateles variegatus). 



The last of the spider-monkeys we shall notice is the species represented in 

 the figure on page 164. It is remarkable for its brilliant coloration, and 

 for its wide geographical distribution which extends from the upper reaches of 

 the Amazon in Peni to the banks of the Rio Negro, flowing from Venezuela 

 into the lower portion of the Amazon, and northwards into the Andes of Ecuador 

 and Colombia. It was originally described by the German naturah-st Wagner, from 



