1 



612 



by the pihiguao palm-tree*, with fruit like 

 peaches, appeared to us a delicious abode. Tame 

 pauxis^f surrounded the Indian huts ; in one of 

 which we saw a very rare monkey, that inhabits 

 the banks of the Guaviare. This monkey is the 

 caparro, which I have made know r n in my Obser- 

 vations de Zoologie et d* Anatomxe comparee 

 and which forms, as Mr. GeofFroy believes, a new 

 genus (lagothrix) between the ateles, and the 

 alouates. The hair of this monkey is a gray 

 like that of the marten, and extremely soft to 

 the touch. The caparro is distinguished by a 

 round head, and a mild and agreeable expres- 

 sion of countenance. I believe the missionary 

 Gili § is the only author, who has made men- 

 tion before me of this curious animal, around 

 which zoologists begin to group other monkeys 

 of Brazil. Having quitted San Fernando May 

 the 27th, we arrived, by favor of the rapid cur- 

 rent of the Oroonoko, in seven hours at the 

 mouth of the Rio MatavenL We passed the 

 night in the open air, under the granitic rock 

 El Castillito||, which rises in the middle of the 



* See above, Chap, xxii, p. 213. 

 f Not the ourax of Cuvier (crax pauxi, Lin.), but the 

 orax alec tor. 



f Vol. i, p. 322, 354. 

 § " During the eighteen years, which I passed in the mis- 

 sions of the Oroonoko, I saw only one caparro.'" Gili, vol. i> 

 p. 240. 



[[ See above, Chap, xxi, p. 192. 



