Monkeys.] 



MUSEUM OF ANIMATED NATURE. 



39 



and a Java sparrow, which by accident came within 

 his reach. A splendid specimen died some years 

 ago in Mr. Cross's menagerie. He was accustomed 

 to smoke, and to drink porter, which latter he quaffed 

 with an amusing air of gravity, holding the mug 

 with great address while seated in his arm-chair. 

 His temper was violent in the extreme, and the 

 slightest offence roused him to fury : his appearance 

 was then terrible, and well calculated to alarm the 

 boldest ; nor could any man, without weapons, have 

 had any chance in a contest. 



169.— The Drill 



(Cynocephacelus leucoplms). The Drill is a native 

 of Guinea. The head is large ; the muzzle thick, 

 with elevated maxillary protuberances, which, how- 

 ever, are not furrowed. The general contour is 

 robust. The tail is very short, and carried erect. 

 The general colour is greenish olive above, ashy 

 white, beneath; the beard is short and orange- 

 coloured ; the face and ears are glossy black ; the 

 palms copper-coloured. The female, is smaller, with 

 a shorter muzzle and paler tint of colouring. The 

 young males resemble the female till their second 

 dentition is complete. It would appear that the 

 Wood Baboon, the Cinereous Baboon, and the Yel- 

 low Baboon of Pennant, are the young of the Drill 

 at different stages of growth. 



The Drill approaches the Mandrill in size ; and 

 though gentle when young, becomes when adult as 

 sullen and ferocious as thaUinimal . Adults are, how- 

 ever, rare in menageries, the acquisition of the per- 

 manent teeth being critical : but young specimens 

 are far from uncommon. These have often been 

 confounded with the young of the Mandrill ; indeed, 

 it is to Frederic Cuvier that we owe the recogni- 

 tion of the Drill as a distinct species, for the con- 

 fused descriptions of Pennant afford us nothing tan- 

 gible. In its wild state the Drill resembles the 

 Mandrill as regards habits and manners ; and tra- 

 vellers seem to have confounded the two species to- 

 gether, and even mixed up their history with that of 

 the Chimpanzee. 



AMERICAN MONKEYS 



(Cebidce). The American monkeys differ from the 

 monkeys of the Old World in the following par- 

 ticulars. The thumb of the fore-hands is never op- 

 posable to the fingers. 

 The dentition, excepting in the Marmozets, is as 



4 I i 



follows : — Incisors, - ; canines, — — - ; bicuspid mo- 

 lars, ^ — s ; true molars, ^ — s = 36, instead of 82. 



6 — o o — rt 



Callosities always wanting. Cheek-pouches always 

 wanting. Nostrils lateral, with elevated margins, 

 and separated from each other by a wide septum. 

 Tail often prehensile, never wanting or rudimen- 

 tary. 



The American monkeys, or Cebidse, are exclu- 

 sively confined to the warmer regions of the New 

 World ; so that, although the species are numerous, 

 their extent of territory is far more limited than 

 that occupied by the Old World monkeys. Their 

 northward range is bounded (in the tenth or eleventh 

 degree of latitude) by the Caribbean Sea ; for they 

 occur neither in the Caribbean group of islands, nor 

 in Hayti, Cuba, or the Bahamas. Though found in 

 the region south of the territory of Panama, they do 

 not advance to Yutacan or Mexico. South of the 

 line their range extends to the twenty-fourth or 

 twenty-fifth degree of latitude, including Brazil, 

 Peru east of the great chain of the Andes, and Para- 

 guay. All are arboreal, frequenting the dense 

 forests, which, as Humboldt observes, are so thick 

 and uninterrupted on the plains of South America 

 between the Orinoko and the Amazon, that, were it 

 not for intervening rivers, the monkeys, almost the 

 only inhabitants of these regions, might pass along 

 the tops of the trees for several hundred miles to- 

 gether without touching the earth. 



In South America monkeys are ordinarily killed 

 as game by the natives for the sake of their flesh ; 

 but the appearance of these animals is so revolting 

 to Europeans, that it is only from necessity, and 

 after custom has familiarised the sight, that they 

 can force themselves to partake of such fare. The 

 manner in which these animals are roasted also 

 contributes to render their appearance disgusting. 

 " A little grating or lattice of very hard wood is 

 formed and raised a foot from the ground. The 

 monkey is skinned and bent into a sitting posture, 

 the head generally resting on the arms, which are 

 meagre and long ; but sometimes these are crossed 

 behind the back. When it is tied on the grating, a 

 very clear fire is kindled below; the monkey, en- 

 veloped in smoke and flame, is broiled and blackened 

 at, the same time. Roasted monkeys, particularly 

 those that have a round head, display a hideous re- 

 semblance to a child; the Europeans, therefore, 

 who are obliged to feed on them, prefer separating 

 the head and hands, and serve only the rest of the 



animal at their tables. The flesh of monkeys is so 

 dry and lean, that M. Bonpland has preserved in his 

 collection at Paris an arm and hand which had been 

 broiled over the fire at Esmeralda, and no smell 

 arises from them after a number of years." — Hum- 

 boldt. 



Genus Ateles. This genus, which includes the 

 spider-monkeys, is characterised thus : — Head round ; 

 face moderately developed ; limbs long and slender. 

 Tail longer than the body, thick at the base, strongly 

 prehensile, and naked for a considerable space be- 

 neath at its extremity. Fore-hands either destitute 

 of an externally apparent thumb, or with the thumb 

 a mere tubercle. Nostrils separated by a wide sep- 

 tum and obliquely oval. Ears moderate, naked, 

 with reflected margins. Dentition as described. 

 Fur long, crisp, or rather harsh, sometimes silky ; 

 prevailing colour black. 



In the slenderness of the limbs, and in the staid, 

 quiet, and almost melancholy expression of the face, 

 the Spider Monkeys remind us of the Gibbons ; both 

 are timid and gentle, with an air of listlessness, lost 

 only under excitement. 



From the length of the limbs and the remarkable 

 flexibility of the joints, the motions of the Spider 

 Monkeys on all fours on the ground seem to be 

 crawling and indeterminate. They tread on the 

 inner edge of the fore-paws, and to a great degree 

 on the outer edge of the hind-paws, and endeavour 

 to assist themselves by attaching the tail to every 

 object as they proceed. They often, however, as- 

 sume the erect attitude, and walk thus better than 

 any other of the long-tailed monkeys. When pro- 

 ceeding in this manner the tail is raised up as high 

 as the shoulders, and then bent, downwards at its 

 extremity, evidently acting as a balancer while the 

 animal moves steadily along. The proper place of 

 these monkeys is among the branches of the forest; 

 there their movements are rapid, easy, and uncon- 

 strained ; their progression is by a series of swing- 

 ing evolutions, in the performance of which the 

 limbs and tail take an equal share. The latter 

 organ, the strength and prehensile powers of which 

 are very great, enables them to assume the most 

 varied attitudes. In ascending or descending trees, 

 or in traversing the branches, it is in continual re- 

 quisition ; they coil it round branch after branch in 

 their passage, turning it in various directions, and 

 applying it* with wonderful precision. They often 

 suspend themselves exclusively by it, and swinging 

 until a sufficient impetus is gained, launch them- 

 selves to a distant branch, or, stretching out their 

 arms, catch it as they vibrate towards it. The ad- 

 vantages of this additional instrument of prehension 

 are palpable ; its sense of touch is finger-like ; and 

 it is capable of seizing small objects with great ad- 

 dress. They are said to introduce the extremity 

 of the tail as a feeler into the fissures and hollows 

 of trees, for the purpose of hooking out eggs or 

 other substanees. 



170. — The Chameck 



(Ateles subpentadactyhis). Fur long, flowing, glossy, 

 and jet black. The fore-hands have a minute nail- 

 less tubercle in place of a thumb. The face and 

 ears are naked, and of a red flesh colour, with a tint 

 of dusky brown. Length of head and body about 

 twenty inches : of the tail twenty-five inches. Na- 

 tive country, Peru. 



171. — The Marimonda 



(Ateles Belzebuth, Desm.). Fur smooth and glossy ; 

 general colour brownish black, deeper on the hands 

 and feet, but fading on the loins and sides of the 

 haunches to a glossy greyish brown. The long 

 hairs at the angle of the jaw, those of the throat, 

 under parts and inside of the limbs, dirty straw 

 colour or yellowish white. A space along the under 

 surface of the tail at its base rusty yellow. Skin of 

 the face blackish brown, becoming of a tanned flesh 

 colour about the lips and nose and around the eyes. 

 Native country, the borders of the Orinoko, Cassi- 

 quiare, &c. 



172.— The Coaita 



(Ateles Panisais). The Quatto of Vosmaer. Ge- 

 neral colour black, the fur being long, coarse, and 

 glossy ; more scanty on the under parts of the body 

 than on the upper. Face and ears of a flesh co- 

 lour, with a tanned or coppery tinge. Neither in 

 this nor the Marimonda is there any thumb on the 

 fore-hands. Native country, Surinam and Guiana. 

 In their general habits and manners these three 

 epecies of Spider Monkeys agree so closely that the 

 details of one are applicable to the rest. In cap- 

 tivity the Chameck is grave and gentle, but. displays 

 extraordinary agility; its intelligence approaches 

 that of the Gibbons. W r e have seen individuals re- 

 peatedly walk upright with great steadiness, — cross 

 their compartment to the window, and there gaze 

 for a considerable time with an air amusingly like 

 that of a human being, as if contemplating the state 

 of the weather, the progress of vegetation, or the 



actions of persons passing by. At the same time 

 the Chameck (and the same observation applies to 

 the others) is not disposed to court the notice of the 

 spectators around it, or invite the attention of stran- 

 gers. Towards those by whom it is regularly fed 

 it displays confidence and partiality. In its gam- 

 bols with others of the genus it exhibits great ad- 

 dress in avoiding or returning their sportive assaults, 

 and executes with surpassing ease the most fan- 

 tastic manoeuvres. 



The Marimonda is termed Arii by the Indians of 

 the Rio Guiania, and is a favourite article of food 

 with the natives of the borders of the Cassiquiare, 

 the higher Orinoko, and other rivers, and its broiled 

 limbs are commonly to be seen in their huts. It is 

 listless and indolent in its habits, and is fond of 

 basking in warm rays of the sun. Humboldt states 

 that he has frequently seen these animals, when ex- 

 posed to the heat of a tropical sun, throw their 

 heads backwards, turn their eyes upwards, bend 

 their arms over their backs, and remain motionless 

 in this extraordinary position for hours together. 

 They traverse the branches leisurely, and unite in 

 companies, forming the most grotesque groups, their 

 attitudes announcing complete sloth. 



In captivity the Marimonda is gentle, and exhibits 

 nothing of the petulance of the guenons or the vio- 

 lence of the macaques. Its anger, when excited, is 

 very transient, and announced by pursing up the 

 lips and uttering a guttural cry, resembling the ou-6. 

 Humboldt notices the facility with which this ani- 

 mal can introduce its tail into the narrowest crevices, 

 select any object it pleases, and hook it out. 



173 _The Miriki 



(Eriodes tuberifer, Isid., Geoff.). Ateles hypoxan- 

 thus, Prince de Wied-Heuwied, but not of Desmarest. 

 The Miriki and one or two more species have been 

 recently separated from the genus Ateles and formed 

 into a distinct group. There are indeed several 

 differences between these animals and the ordinary 

 Spider Monkeys, which, if taken together, justify the 

 adoption of the genus Eriodes. The nostrils are 

 rounded, the interval between them is narrow, and 

 their aspect is downwards, not lateral. The molar 

 teeth, instead of being small, are large and quadran- 

 gular, and the crown of the first two molars of the 

 upper jaw is boldly and irregularly tuherculate : the 

 incisors are small. The dentition in fact approaches 

 close to that of the Howlers (Mycetes), and it is 

 worthy of remark that, in F. Cuvier's work on the 

 teeth of quadrupeds, his figure of the teeth of the 

 Howling Monkeys is in reality copied, as M. Isidore 

 asserts, upon his own knowledge, from the teeth of a 

 species of Eriodes. (See Fig. 174.) Besides these 

 there are other characters of minor importance. 



The fur of the Miriki is soft and woolly, of a yel- 

 lowish-grey, the base of the tail and the circum- 

 jacent hairs being tinged with rufous. The fore- 

 hands are furnished with a minute rudimentary 

 thumb, in the form of a nailless tubercle ; the face 

 is flesh-coloured, sprinkled with greyish hairs. Na- 

 tive country, Brazil. The Miriki in its general habits 

 agrees with the Spider Monkeys. It lives associated 

 in troops in the vast forests, and displays great 

 agility. Fruits form its principal diet. The Prince 

 of Weid-Neuwied states that the Miriki seldom ap- 

 proaches the abodes of man, keeping to the depths 

 of the woods ; Spix also states that it lives m troops 

 which make the air resound with their loud cries 

 incessantly uttered during the day. At the sight of 

 the hunter they ascend with extraordinary rapidity 

 the topmost branches of the trees, and passing from 

 one to another are soon lost in the recesses of the 

 forest. The Brazilians call this monkey Miriki and 

 Mouriki; the Botacuckas term it Koupo. 



Genus Mycetes. The Howlers, or Howling Mon- 

 keys, as the animals of this genus are lermed, con- 

 stitute a natural and well-marked group distinguish- 

 able from the Spider Monkeys by their greater 

 robustness, by the more proportionate contour ot 

 the limbs, by the development of the bone ot the 

 tongue Cos hyoides), which is greatly enlarged and 

 hollow, by the expansion of the lower jaw, especia ly 

 at its angle, the prominence of the muzzle, and by 

 the possession of a thumb (not opposable) on the 

 fore-hands. The form of the head is pyramidal ; the 

 fur of the forehead is directed upwards, that of the 

 rest of the head forwards ; on the external surtace 

 of the fore-arms it is directed from the wrist to the 

 elbow ; the under parts of the body are almost 

 naked; on the back and shoulders the fur is full, 

 Ion*, soft, and glossy. The tail is strongly prehen- 

 sile' and naked at its extremity beneath. The hollow 

 drum formed by the os hyoides communicates with 

 the interior of the cartilaginous expansion of the 

 larynx (Fi°". I""-)' m which are several membranous 

 valvular pouches. This apparatus gives to the voice 

 extraordinary volume and intonation. The howl- 

 infes uttered by the troops of these monkeys are as- 

 tounding, and usually heard in the morning, at 

 sunset, and during the darkness of night. Shrouded 

 amidst the gloomy foliage of the woods, they raise 



