NO. 5 MAMMALS OF PANAMA — GOLDMAN 233 



crevices in trees and withered leaves, seizing the largest beetles and 

 munching them up with great relish. It is also very fond of eggs and 

 young birds, and must play havoc amongst the nestlings. Probably 

 owing to its carnivorous habits, its flesh is not considered so good by 



monkey-eaters as that of the fruit-feeding spider-monkey 



I kept one for a long time as a pet, and was much amused with its 



antics I had it fastened with a light chain ; but it managed to 



open the links and escape several times, and then made straight for 

 the fowls' nests, breaking every egg it could get hold of .... Its 

 chain allowed it to swing down below the verandah, but it could not 

 reach to the ground. Sometimes, when there were broods of young 

 ducks about, it would hold out a piece of bread in one hand, and, 

 when it had tempted a duckling within reach, seize it by the other, 

 and kill it with a bite in the breast." 



Specimens examined : Boqueron, 6 ' ; Boquete, 2 2 ; Coiba Island, 

 12 * ; Gatun, 1 ; without definite locality, 9. 1 



Family ATELIDAE. Spider Monkeys 



The Atelidae form a surpassingly arboreal group of species. The 

 great length and power of the tail as a grasping organ and the 

 slenderness of the limbs, in allusion to which these animals are 

 commonly called spider monkeys, permit a rapidity of progression 

 through tree tops that is often marvelous. 



Genus ATELES E. Geoffroy 

 This genus is composed of rather large, but slender, long-limbed 

 species with very long, prehensile tails, naked on the under side near 

 the tip. In general external appearance they are not very unlike the 

 howling monkeys of the genus Alouatta, but are easily recognizable 

 by the absence of the thumbs and consequent reduction of the num- 

 ber of fingers on the hands to four, instead of five as in all the other 

 primates of the region. Two species are known to inhabit Panama. 



ATELES GEOFFROYI Kuhl 



Geoffroy's Spider Monkey; Mono Colorado 



A teles geoffroy [sic] Kuhl, Beitrage z. Zoologie, 1820, p. 26. Type locality 

 unknown. 



Although somewhat variable in general color the " mono Colorado " 

 is usually reddish as the native name indicates, and by this character 

 is distinguishable from the black spider monkey of Panama. Parts 



1 Collection Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. 

 1 Collection Mus. Comp. Zool. 



