OF APES. 51 



them with one another. Thefe two tribes dif- 

 fer from each other by a remarkable character i 

 AH the fapajous ufe their tail as a finger to hang 

 upon branches, or to lay hold of any object they 

 cannot reach with their hand. The fagoins, on 

 the contrary, have not the power of employing 

 their tail in this manner. Their face, ears, and 

 hair aie alfo different : We may, therefore, fepa- 

 rate them into two diftinft genera. In giving 

 the hiftory of the fpecies, 1 fhall avoid all thofe 

 denominations which can only apply to the apes, 

 baboons, and monkeys, and preferve the names 

 they receive in their native country. 



We are acquainted with fix or fevcn fpecies 

 of fapajous, and fix of fagoins, moft of which 

 have fome varieties. We have carefully fearch-^ 

 ed all the writings of travellers in order to dil* 

 cover the proper name of each fpecies ; becaufe 

 the names they receive in the places they inhabit 

 generally point out feme peculiar characteriftic, 

 \vhich alone is fufficlent to diflinguiili them from 

 one another. 



With regard to tlie varieties, which, in this 

 clafs of animals, are perhaps more numerous than 

 the fpecies, we Ihall endeavour to refer each of 

 them to their proper kinds. We have had for^ 

 ty of thefe animals alive, each of which differed 

 more or lefs from one another; and- to us it 

 appears that the whole may be reduced to thirty 

 fpecies, namely, three apes, and an intermediate 

 fpecies betv/een them and the baboons j three 



D 2 baboons, 



