42 



MUSEUM OF ANIMATED NATURE. 



[Monkeys. 



their horrid chorus, " making night hideous," and 

 startling the traveller who for the first time hears 

 it. It is not, however, only during the night or at 

 daybreak and evening that the Howlers exert their 

 voices ; they are affected by electric changes in the 

 dondition of the atmosphere, and when, during the 

 cay, the gloomy sky foretells the approach of a 

 thunderstorm, their dissonant yells resound through 

 the gloomy woodlands. The range of the Howlers 

 is from Guiana to Paraguay. According to Spix 

 and Humboldt, they subsist principally upon fruits 

 and leaves. The females produce one at a birth, 

 and the mother carries her young clinging to her 

 back until old enough to act for itself. In their 

 disposition the Howlers are melancholy and morose ; 

 their movements are tardy and inert ; on the ground 

 they never attempt to walk on the hinder limbs 

 alone. When pursued or alarmed, they retire slowly 

 and take refuge in the highest branches of the trees, 

 to which, if shot with a bullet or arrow, they often 

 remain suspended by the tail when life is extinct. 

 As they are of large size and fatter than other mon- 

 keys, they are in great request with the Indians as 

 food ; but are seldom or never kept in confinement, 

 having nothing pleasing in their manners, voice, or 

 appearance. 



176, 177. — The Araguato, or Ursine Howler 

 (Mycetes ursinm). Araguato de Caracas of Hum- 

 boldt. The extent of the- face destitute of hair is 

 more circumscribed than in most of the genus, and is 

 of a bluish black colour with long scattered black 

 bristles on the lips and chin. The chest and abdo- 

 men are well clothed with hair. The fur is long, 

 resembling that of a young bear. The general 

 colour is golden rufous, paler round the sides of the 

 lace, but deeper on the beard. In the figure of this 

 species given in Humboldt's work, the hair of the 

 head is represented as all directed backwards from 

 the forehead to the back of the neck; we hesitate 

 not to say, by a mistake of the artist. Native coun- 

 try, Brazil, Venezuela, &c. 



It was after landing at Cumana, in the province of 

 New Andalusia, that Humboldt andBonpland first 

 met the Araguato, while on an excursion to the 

 mountains of Cocollar and the cavern of Guacharo. 

 The convent of Caripe is there situated in a valley, 

 the plain of which is elevated more than 400 toises 

 above the level of the ocean ; and though the centi- 

 grade thermometer often descends during the night 

 to 1 7 degrees, the surrounding forests abound with 

 Howlers, whose mournful cries uttered when the 

 sky is overcast, or threatens rain or lightning, are 

 heard at the distance of half a league. The Araguato 

 was also met with in the valleys of Aragua to the 

 west of Caracas, in the Llanos of the Apure and 

 of the Lower Orinoco, and in the Carib missions of 

 the Province of New Barcelona, where stagnant 

 waters were overshadowed by the Sagoutier of 

 America, a species of palm with scale-covered fruit 

 and fiabelliform leaves, among which it dwells in 

 troops. South of the cataracts of the Orinoco it 

 becomes very rare. Of all the gregarious monkeys 

 the Araguato was observed in the greatest abund- 

 ance ; on the borders of the Apure Humboldt often 

 counted 40 in one tree, and in some parts of the 

 country he affirms that more than 2000 existed in a 

 square mile. They travel in the forests in long files, 

 consisting of 20 or 30 individuals or more, and pro- 

 ceed with deliberation. An old male usually leads 

 the troop, the rest follow his movements, and when 

 he swings from one branch to another, the whole file 

 one by one perform in " order due " the same action 

 on the same spot. In other species also this habit 

 has been observed. According to Waterton, the 

 Araguato is very partial to the seeds of the vanilla, 

 a creeper which ascends the trees to the height of 

 forty or fifty feet. 



Genus Cebus. The Sapajous, as the animals of 

 this genus are termed, are prehensile-tailed, but the 

 tail is everywhere clothed with fur, so that, though 

 capable of grasping, and naturally curled round at 

 its extremity when not in use, as in the Spicier 

 Monkeys and Howlers, it is not, as in these latter 

 animals, an organ of tact, nor so powerful a grasper. 



The monkeys of this genus are all diurnal in their 

 habits, and for the most part of small size. The French 

 call them Sapajous, Sajous, Sais, andCapucins : they 

 are also called Weepers (Singes pleureurs), from the 



S^aintive piping noise which many of them utter, 

 umboldt states that the Creoles of South America 

 call them " Matchi," confounding under this denomi- 

 nation very distinct species. In temper and disposi- 

 . tion the Cebi are lively and docile ; they show great 

 attachment to some persons, and a capricious aver- 

 sion to others. They are intelligent, mischievous, 

 and inquisitive. Their activity and address are sur- 

 prising ; in their native forests they live in troops, 

 feeding on fruits, grain, insects, and eggs. So 

 amusing are they in their gambols, that even the 

 apathetic natives will stop their canoes and watch 

 their frolics with interest. They are, from their live- 

 liness and docility, great favourites, and often kept 



domesticated, but their amusing habits do not pro- 

 tect them from the poisoned arrows of the Indians. 

 The head is round, the muzzle short, and the 

 limbs well proportioned. The dentation as usual : 

 the incisors of the upper-jaw are larger than those 

 of the lower : the canines are often strong and large ; 

 the molars are rather small. The ears are rounded. 

 The species are very numerous, and involved In 

 much confusion. 



178. — The Horned Sajou 



(Culms Fatuellus, Linn.). Sajou cornu, F. Cuvier 

 (not of Buffon). The general colour of the fur is 

 brown, deepening to an almost black tint on the 

 top of the head, on the middle of the black, and on 

 the legs, hands, feet, and tail. A bandeau of hair 

 rises on the forehead, the extremities of which are 

 elevated in the form of egrets, or pencil-like tufts : 

 these tufts are less conspicuous in the female. The 

 sides of the face are garnished with white hairs. 

 All the naked parts, and the skin under the fur, are 

 violet-coloured. Native country, Brazil : it is found 

 in the Provinces of Rio Janeiro. It is not until 

 maturity that the horns or frontal tufts are acquired. 

 In captivity the Horned Sajou is lively and amusing, 

 active and good tempered. Its habits in a state of 

 nature are not detailed. 



1 79. — The Yellow-breasted Sajou 



(Cebus zanthosternos, Prince Maxim., Kuhl, Des- 

 mar.). Sal a grosse tete, Cebus Monachus, F. Cuv. ; 

 C. Zanthocephalus, Spix. This is one of the species 

 which has been in confusion, but from which we 

 trust it is extricated. The head is large, the fore- 

 head broad and covered with very short hair ; the 

 limbs are robust, the tail thick : in size this species 

 is superior to the Horned Sajou. The forehead and 

 anterior part of the head, and the hairs of the cheeks, 

 which are full on the malar bones, are yellowish 

 white ; a dusky line, commencing before the ears, 

 encircles the face ; the chest, the shoulders, and the 

 anterior part of the humerus, are orange-yellow ; 

 the fore-arms, the legs, the anterior portion of the 

 back, and the tail, are black ; the sides of the body 

 and the haunches are reddish-brown ; the abdomen, 

 rich rufous chestnut. The. depth of the tints vary 

 with age ; the fore-arms and legs are often freckled 

 with rufous and the tail grizzled with yellowish- 

 white, especially at its base and underneath. 



This species inhabits the woods of Rio Janeiro 

 and St. Paul. We have seen a fine specimen from 

 Bahia Brazil. It is a young male which F. Cuvier 

 figures as the Sai a grosse tete. He adds also the 

 scientific appellation Monachus, which having been 

 already given to a very distinct monkey (Cebus 

 monachus, Fischer; Pithecia monachus, Geoffrey), 

 cannot be retained without confusion. According 

 to Spix the Yellow-breasted Sajou associatesin large 

 troops, which often visit the fields of maze, where 

 they commit great depredations. In captivity it is 

 gentle, mild, and confiding, and though timid, fond 

 of being noticed by those to whom it is famili- 

 arized. 



ISO. — The Brown Sajou 



(Cebus Apcllci). Sajou brun, Buffon. Head 

 round ; colouring variable both as to intensity and 

 markings. The following details are taken from 

 specimens we have rigorously examined: — Hair of 

 the temples short, scanty, and directed upwards. 

 On the top of the head the hair is moderately long, 

 and forms a cap with an anterior slightly elevated 

 marginal ridge advancing from the centre of the 

 forehead along the sides of the head, so as to pro- 

 duce a somewhat triangular figure; face covered 

 with short dusky hair, that about the lips white ; 

 ears large and nearly naked. From the black 

 cap on the top of the head a blackish line ex- 

 tends down before the ears and spreads over the 

 beard-like hairs of the throat. The outer surface of 

 the humerus is greyish, but a black line from be- 

 hind the ears sweeps over the shoulder and runs 

 along the anterior margin of the humerus to the 

 fore-arm, which is black, grizzled with brownish 

 grey. The general colour is brownish-black, pass- 

 ing into black on the middle of the dorsal line, on 

 the haunches, tail, thighs, and legs : the fur is 

 glossy. Another specimen has the sides of the body 

 and outside of the thighs of a glossy pale chestnut 

 brown, and the temples yellowish grey washed in 

 the middle with black. The Cebus Apella is the 

 Capucin Monkey of Pennant and Shaw, but not the 

 Simia Capucina of Linnaeus, which is the Sai of 

 Button, the Weeper Monkey of Pennant and Shaw. 

 The Brown Sajou is a native of Guiana, and is 

 ■ plentifully brought over by vessels trading to the 

 coast, so that it is common "in our menageries. Its 

 .liveliness and activity are remarkable, and it bears 

 our climate well. There are several instances of its 

 having produced young in France, and each time a 

 single^offspring, to which both parents were strongly 

 attached; In disposition the Brown Sajou is good- 

 tempered, but capricious. It is very intelligent 



and amusing. A male which was living a few years 

 since in the Gardens of the Zoological Society would 

 employ a stone for the purpose of breaking nuts too 

 hard to be crushed by the teeth, or if no stone were 

 at hand he would strike them forcibly against any 

 hard surface, so as to split the shell : we have seen 

 other sajous do the same. This species is continually 

 in the habit of making grimaces ; it grins, wrinkling 

 up the face in a very singular manner ; its ordinary 

 cry is plaintive, but when in anger the voice is 

 shrill and elevated, In climbing, the tail is in con- 

 stant requisition as a grasper. "Though fruits and 

 other vegetable productions constitute the diet of 

 this species in its native forests, they are not ex- 

 clusively so ; insects are highly relished, and there 

 is reason to believe that eggs and young birds are 

 also acceptable. A linnet, which by way of ex- 

 periment was introduced into a cage where two of 

 these monkeys were confined, was instantly caught 

 by the strongest of them, and killed and eaten with 

 scarcely even the ceremony of stripping off the 

 feathers. 



Genus Pithecia. The Monkeys of this genus are 

 termed Saki by the French. The tail is not in the 

 slightest degree prehensile: it is shorter. than the 

 body, and generally bushy. The head is round, the 

 muzzle moderately prominent. In the lower jaw 

 the incisors project almost as in the Lemur, being 

 compressed, narrowing at the points, and are closely 

 compacted together ; the upper incisors are nearly 

 vertical and square, differing greatly in appearance 

 from those of the lower jaw. The canines are large, 

 strong, and three-sided. The molars bluntly tuber- 

 culate. 



The Sakis, or Fox-tailed monkeys, live either in 

 pairs, or small troops of ten or twelve, and are 

 usually seen on the outskirts of forests bordering 

 rivers. They are to a certain degree nocturnal in 

 their habits : some indeed have been considered 

 decidedly so, but it would appear that, like the 

 Howlers, they are the most animated just before 

 sunrise and after sunset, at which times they utter 

 their loud cries in concert. All are active and 

 vigilant, and not easy to be surprised or captured. 



181.— The Cacajao 



(Pithecia melanocephala) . This monkey is also 

 called in America Caruiri. The body "is rather 

 robust, but elongated; the head is ovate, oblong, 

 and depressed on the crown ; the ears have a back- 

 ward situation ; the tail is short, and ends abruptly. 

 The face is black, as are also the ears; the head "is 

 covered with full long black hairs, directed from 

 the occiput forwards to the forehead, where they 

 become parted in the centre. The hairs of the back 

 are long, and of a brownish-yellow : this colour 

 passes on the thighs and tail into a brighter or fer- 

 ruginous tint. The fore-arms and legs are black or 

 blackish. The chin is beardless, and the nose short, 

 broad, and fiat. Native country, the borders of the 

 Cassiquiare and Rio Negro ; and in Brazil, those of 

 the rivers Solimoens and lea. 



The present Saki is described by Humboldt, and 

 is doubtless identical with one also described and 

 figured by Spix, which he terms Ouakary, and 

 which he found in the forests between the rivers 

 Solimoens and lea (Brazil). He states that these 

 monkeys congregate in troops frequenting the 

 margins of large streams ; and that during their 

 journeys from one part of the forest to another they 

 fill the air with their piercing and disagreeable 

 cries. Humboldt informs us that the Cacajo, or 

 Cacaho, as it is called by the Marativitan Indians 

 of the Rio Negro, is not common in the territories 

 which he investigated, for he only saw one individual, 

 which he bought, in an Indian cabin at San Francisco 

 Solano ; and from which, after death, he took an 

 accurate drawing. It was young, but he was assured 

 by the Indians of Esmeralda, that though it attains 

 to a considerable size, its tail is not sensibly aug- 

 mented in length. According to the information 

 obtained by Humboldt, the Cacajao inhabits the 

 forests which border the Cassiquiare and Rio Negro, 

 associating in troops : when kept in confinement it 

 is voracious and listless, but gentle and timid, even 

 shrinking from the society of other small monkeys. 

 Baron Humboldt's specimen trembled violently at 

 the sight of a crocodile or serpent. When irritated 

 it opens its mouth in a strange manner, and its 

 countenance becomes distorted by a convulsive sort 

 of laugh. 



From the length and slenderness of its fingers, it 

 grasps anything awkwardly, and when about to 

 seize an object bends its back and extends its two 

 arms, at the same time assuming a singular attitude. 

 It eats all sorts of fruits— the most acid, as well as 

 the sweetest. It is termed Caruiri by the Cabres of 

 the mission of San Fernando, near the junction of 

 the Orinoco, the Atabapo, and the Guaviare ; Mono 

 feo (hideous monkey), and Chucuto, or Mono rabon 

 (short-tailed monkey), by the Spanish Missionaries 

 of the Cassiquiare. 



