BARRIGUDO MONKEYS ' 447 



prettiness of its features and ways. My own pet was 

 kept in a box, in which was placed a broad-mouthed 

 glass jar ; into this it would dive, head foremost, when 

 any one entered the room, turning round inside, and 

 thrusting forth its inquisitive face an instant afterwards 

 to stare at the intruder. It was very active at night, 

 venting at frequent intervals a hoarse cry, like the sup- 

 pressed barking of a dog, and scampering about the 

 room, to the length of its tether, after cockroaches and 

 spiders. In climbing between the box and the wall, it 

 straddled the space, resting its hands on the palms and 

 tips of the outstretched fingers with the knuckles bent 

 at an acute angle, and thus mounted to the top with the 

 greatest facility. Although seeming to prefer insects, it 

 ate all kinds of fruit, but would not touch raw or cooked 

 meat, and was very seldom thirsty. I was told by persons 

 who had kept these monkeys loose about the house, that 

 they cleared the chambers of bats as well as insect vermin. 

 When approached gently, my Ei-a allowed itself to be 

 caressed ; but when handled roughly, it always took alarm, 

 biting severely, striking out its little hands, and making a 

 hissing noise like a cat. As already related, my pet was 

 killed by a jealous Caiarara monkey, which was kept in 

 the house at the same time. 



I have mentioned the near relationship of the night 

 apes to the Sai-miris (Chrysothrix), which are amongst 

 the commonest of the ordinary monkeys of the American 

 forests. This near relationship is the more necessary to 

 be borne in mind, as some zoologists have drawn a com- 

 parison between the Nyctipitheci and the Microcebi, 

 Nycticebi, and Loris, nocturnal apes of the Lemur family 

 inhabiting Ceylon and Java, and it might be erroneously 

 inferred that our American Ei-as were related more 

 closely to these Old World forms than they are to the rest 

 of the New World monkeys. The Nycticebus of Java has 

 also large nocturnal eyes, short ears, and a physiognomy 

 similar to that of our Nyctipitheci ; resemblances which 

 might seem to be strong proofs of blood-relationship, but 

 these points are fallacious guides in ascertaining the 

 genealogy of these animals ; they are simply resemblances 

 of analogy, and merely show that a few species belong- 

 ing to utterly dissimilar families have been made similar 

 by being adapted to similar modes of life. The Loris 

 and their relatives of Tropical Asia have six incisor teeth 



