QuADRtJMANA. MAMMALIA. Quadrumana. 
xii 
his head as a balance weight, and strides off more 
human-like, even, than the great Apes that are much 
nearer Man in the scale of being. The illustration 
here given — (fig. v.) — was taken from the living spec- 
imen, and represents the creature in the act of walking 
upright without the aid of support. They are not 
able to continue this position longer than a few sec- 
onds, always returning readily to the ground, or to 
any support that i\\Qfour hands may grasp, illustrat- 
ing thereby their completely Quadrurnanous character. 
The Spider Monkey is credited with the faculty of 
robbing the nests of birds that build in fancied secur- 
ity in the hollows of decayed trees. Ateles intro- 
duces his tail into the aperture, grasps the egg with 
the sensitive, finger-like tip, and, somewhat in the 
presto! change! I manner of Joe Grimaldi, passes 
the morsel, with a flourish, to his mouth. The clasp- 
ing power of the tail is retained even in death ; Mon- 
keys that have been shot while hanging by that 
member, remained suspended until decomposition 
loosened the firmly-set muscles sufficiently to allow 
the carcass to drop. 
THE MAEIMONDA [Ateles SefeeSwiA) resembles the 
latter, but in color is much darker, being a dull black, 
uniformly, with no glossy lustre. On the back and 
top of the head it is of a dense dead black. Though 
mild and amiable to a fault this species, from its 
peculiarly sombre aspect, has received its rather du- 
bious specific name. In captivity it is gentle, and 
really exhibits a species of affection for those that 
care for it, attaching itself strongly to certain persons 
to whom it may take a fancy, and as frequently show- 
ing dislike to others— though not viciously. This 
species walks precisely in the same manner as the 
other. They do not set the sole of either hand flat 
upon the ground, but, turning the hinder feet inwards, 
they walk upon the outer side. With all the species 
the proper position is on all-fours, and the forest 
branches are as essential to its condition as the web 
to the Spider. In their native forests, the Spider 
Monkeys may be seen often clinging together in 
bunches, looking ludicrously like so much fruit. 
Their tails are, of course, used to coil around each 
other, and travelers tell most remarkable stories of 
their crossing streams, uniting in one long string, by 
a close entwinement of tails and heads, and at last 
swinging themselves over the chasm. This is no 
doubt true in a degree. 
CHAMECK [A. chamecTc). — This species is a native 
of Brazil, where it is quite common. Its thumb is 
partially produced, but has only a single joint, and no 
nail, the member seeming to be of no special use, as it 
cannot be opposed to the fingers. 
The Ohameck is a very gentle creature, and is sus- 
ceptible of considerable cultivation ; like its relatives, 
it is not so capricious of temper as the Old World 
Monkeys, and is safely handled in play by any one 
that tends it. Its length is twenty inches, the tail 
being two feet more. The fur is long and hairy, hang- 
ing gracefully in dense masses over the limbs and 
body. Its tail is curiously ornamented with the same 
flowing hair, excepting at its tip, which serves as its 
filih finger. The color of the fur is an uniform black ; 
the face is of a deep brown, as well as the ears, cheeks 
and chin. Its lips are thought to be somewhat 
mobile, but less so than those of the higher Apes. 
THE BLACK-FACED SPIDEE MONKEY [Ateles ater) 
is a Brazilian, with black body and face, a short 
crown of hair, and that on the forehead moderately 
long. The young are brown in color. It is the A. 
paniscus, variety cayennensis of Geoff. 
THE BROWN-HEADED SPIDER MONKEY [Aides 
fusiceps) is black, with rather long, shining, crisp 
hairs, the longer ones having indistinct brownish tips. 
The crown of the head is rusty brown, giving it a 
special character, which gives rise to its specific name. 
Its particular locality is not given. 
BARTLETT’S SPIDER MONKEY [Ateles bartlettii). 
— Mr. Edward Bartlett, who made a tour of South 
America, says of the species : “ I have what I con- 
sider as a new species of Spider Monkey. It has a 
straight, erect, golden-yellow crest, a white stripe on 
each side of the face ; belly and inside flanks brown- 
ish-yellow ; back black. I obtained it in the moun- 
tains. The Indians considered it a great prize.” In 
the Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 
is a figure by Wolff, and description of this species 
by Dr. Gray. The latter has since adopted the specific 
name variegatus. It was found by Mr. Bartlett, in 
Eastern Peru, near Xeberos. He made along journey 
in quest of it, having learned that such an one existed 
on the Rio Tigri, a small tributary of the Amazon. 
At the highest point of the mountains in that region 
he met with several, about eight or nine. He shot 
one, and the Indians brought down another with a 
poisoned dart. One was sent to the British Museum, 
and the other, much to his horror, was put upon the 
fire and singed for cooking before he could regain it. 
“ They seem,” he says, “ to go about in small parties, 
passing the forest in rapid movements, feeding on 
berries, &c.” 
GRIZZLED SPIDER MONKEY [Ateles grisescens).— 
Dr. Sclater has named this, and Dr. Gray describes it 
in Proc. Zoo. Soc., Loii.Aor 1865. The latter regards 
it as very like A. ater and A. paniscus, but is at once 
known by its silvery hairs, intermixed with the black 
ones, and the pale color of the under side of the tail. 
There is no approach to these characters, he says, in any 
of the specimens of the species in the British Museum. 
Its fur is moderately long, black, with many silvery- 
white hairs interspersed. The tail is black, with 
grayish on the underside. The hair of the forehead 
is moderately long. It has no thumb. Its habitat is 
not given, though it is probably Brazil. 
HOODED SPIDER MONKEY [Ateles cucculatus).— 
The fur of this species is very long and flaccid, of a 
blackish-silvery gray ; the crown and nape, the hands 
and feet, are black ; the sides of the rump are black- 
ish ; the hair of the crown very long, forming a large 
hood, which expands over the eyebrows. The face 
is reddish, large, and the orbits are black. The color 
of the back is produced by an intermixture of very 
long, blackish, and gray hairs. I’he hairs of the crown, 
and the hands and feet, are short and black to the 
base. It has no thumb. Its particular habitat is not 
given. 
