AND EX Q^U I M A. 189 



the other brown. On account of the length and 

 flendernefs of their legs and tail, they were called 

 fpider monkeys. 



Some years ago, a conita was fent me, under 

 the denomination cS. charatk^ which, I was told, 

 came from the coall of Peru. I Ihall give a de- 

 fciiption of it in the margin*, from which \\ 

 will appear that this chamek of Peru, with the 

 exce[)tion of a few varieties, is the fame animal 

 with the coaita of Guiana. 



Thef'e fapajous are very dexterous and intel- 

 ligent. They go in companies, and mutually 

 warn and afiift each other. It ufes its tail as z^ 

 fifth hand, and feems to employ this inflrument 

 more than either its hanus or feet f . To balance 



this 



• Thi? animal was brought from the coaft of Bancet in 

 Peru, vvhen thirteen months old. Il weighed about fix pounds. 

 The whole body was black. The ikin ot the fjce was naked, 

 of a coarfe grain, and of the colour of a Mulatto. The hair 

 was coarfc, and from two to three inches in length. The 

 ears, which relenibled thofe of man, wsre naked, and of the 

 fame colour with tlie face. The tail was one foot ten inches 

 long, five inches thick at the bale, and about one inch at the 

 poin;. It was round, and garnilhed with hair above and be- 

 low about thirteen inches fiom the oiigin, but naked below 

 nine inches from the extremity, where the under part of it is 

 flat and furrowed in the middle, and round above. This a- 

 . nimal fufpcnds itf If by fhe tail, and likewife ufes It as a fifth 

 hand to Uy hold of any thing it wants Its length was thir- 

 teen inches trom the point of the nofe to the oric;in of the 

 tail. It had only two paps, placed nearly under the arni- 

 pits. 



t This creature has no more than four fingers to each of 

 its fnve paws, but the top of the tail is fmooth underneath, 

 and ou this it depends for its chief actions ; for the creature 



holds 



