158 FOUR-HANDED FOLK. 



an attractive-looking animal, clothed in rather 

 long, coarse hair, of a glossy black color, with 

 large eyes and a reddish flesh-colored face quite 

 human in expression. He belongs to a branch 

 named scientifically " Thumbless," because what 

 should be thumbs on his hands are in fact 

 merely stumps or single joints, although, to 

 make up for this, he has very good thumbs on 

 his feet, or hinder hands (which they really 

 are). Perhaps the most useful member is nei- 

 ther foot nor hand, but tail. Not only is it 

 strong enough to sustain the weight of a cluster 

 of monkeys as mentioned above, but it is deli- 

 cate enough to take birds' eggs out of a narrow 

 opening. It is a help in walking, for the coaita 

 is a tolerable walker, stepping carefully on the 

 outside edge of his feet, never on the sole or 

 palm, and steadying himself on his way by taking 

 hold, with his tail, of every object within reach. 



More than this, the tail is able to hold objects, 

 and even to carry them off, and as a swing it 

 cannot be equaled. So strong is its holding-on 

 power that even after death it will firmly sus- 

 pend the dead body for days. Nearly the whole 

 length of the tail is covered with fur, like the 

 rest of the body, but for several inches at the 

 tip the under side is bare, and covered over with 

 thick, black skin, which eminently fits it for its 

 work. The old story of monkeys bridging a 



