iSz THE O U A R I N E 



pier f: He afllires us, however, that the females 

 generally produce two young, one of which the 



mother 



t The monkeys found in the neighbourhood of the Bay 

 of C^unpeachy are the nglieft I ever faw. They are much 

 bigger than a hare, and have great tails, about two feet and 

 ;i half long. The under fide of their tails is all bare, with a 

 black hard fkin ; but the upper fide, and all the body, is co- 

 vered with coarfe, long, Uack, flaring hair. Thefe creatures 

 iceep together 20 or 30 in a company, and ramble over the 

 woods, leaping from tree to tree. If they meet with a fingle 

 perfon, they will threaten to devour him. When I have been 

 alone, I have "been afraid to fhoot them, efpecially the firft 

 time I met them. They were a great company dancing from 

 tree to tree, over my head, chattering and making a terrible 

 Jioife, and a great many grim faces, and (hewing antick ge- 

 itures. Some broke down dry fticks and threw at me ; others 

 Icattered their urine and dung about my ears ; at lafl, one 

 bigger than the reft, came to a fmall limb juft over my 

 head, and leaping directly at me, made me ftart back; but 

 the monkey caught hold of the bough with the tip of his tail, 

 and there continued Twinging to and fro, and making mouths 



at mc. At laft I part on, they ftiU keeping me company, 



with the like menacing poftures, till I came to our huts. The 

 tails of thefe monkeys are as good to them as one of their 

 'hands ; and they will hold as fad by them. If two or more 

 pi us were together, they would halleq from us. The females 

 with their young ones are much troubled to leap after the 

 males ; for they have commonly two : One ilie carries under 

 one of her arms ; the other fits on her back, and clafps her 

 two fore paws about its neck. Thefe monkeys are the moft; 

 fidlen I ever met with, for all the art we could ufe would ne- 

 ver tame them. It is a hard matter to Ihoot one of them, fo 

 as to take it, for if it gets Jiqld with its claws or tail, it will not 

 fail as long as one breath of lil;: remains. After I have (hot 

 at one aud broke a leg or an arm, I have pitied the poor 

 creature to fee it look and handle the wounded limb, and 

 turn it about from fide to fide. Thefe monkeys are very rare- 

 or (as fonie lay) njvcr on the ground j DawpUi; vol. 2. 



part 2. p. 60. 



