THE UAKARI MONKEYS. 176 
Habits.—‘‘ This scarlet-faced monkey,” says Mr. Bates, “lives 
in forests, which are inundated during the greater part of the 
year, and isynever known to descend to the ground ; the short- 
ness of its tail is, therefore, no sign of terrestrial habits, as it is 
in the Macaques and Baboons of the Old World. . . . It 
seems to be found in no other part of America than the banks 
of the Japura near its mouth; and even there it is confined to 
the western side of the river. It lives in small troops amongst 
the crowns of the lofty trees, living on fruits of various kinds. 
Hunters say it is very nimble in its motions, but it is not much 
given to leaping, preferring to run up and down the larger boughs 
in travelling from tree to tree. The mother, as in other species 
of the Monkey order, carries her young on her back. Indi- 
viduals are obtained alive by shooting them with the blow-pipe 
and arrows tipped with diluted Urari poison. ‘They runa con- 
siderable distance after being pierced, and it requires an ex- 
perienced hunter to track them. He is considered the most~ 
expert who can keep pace with a wounded one and catch it in 
his arms when it falls exhausted. A pinch of salt, the antidote 
to the poison, is then put in its mouth, and the creature revives. 
Adult Uakaris, caught in the way just described, very 
rarely become tame. They are peevish and sulky, resisting all 
attempts to coax them, and biting anyone who ventures within 
reach. They have no particular cry, even when in their native 
woods ; in captivity they are quite silent. In the course of a few 
days or weeks, if not carefully attended to, they fall into a listless 
condition, refuse food,and die. . . . The bright scarlet of 
its face is, in health, spread over the features up to the roots of the 
hair on the forehead and temples, and down to the neck, in- 
cluding the flabby cheeks, which hang down below the jaws. 
The animal, in this condition, looks at a short distance as 
N 2 
