GENUS MYCETES^THE HOWLERS. 
171 
put points forwards, occasioning a very small tuft at the vertex. On the 
temples and cheeks it is of the same colour, but very long ; the beard is 
very broad and bushy. The hair of the arms from the shoulder to tlie 
elbow, as well as of the back, sides, breast, and abdomen, is bright yel- 
lowish-red ; that of the fore-arms, hands, thighs, legs, and tail, of a very 
deep brownish-red. The tail is as long as the body and head taken to- 
gether. 
2. MYCETES URSINUS.— URSINE HOWLER. 
Syn. L’Alouate ocesON. — Cuv. Reg. Anim. 1. 99. 
Stentor uesinos. — Geoff. Ann. Mus. XIX. 
Mvcetes CRSlNUS. — Kulil. Beitr.— Desm. Mam — Pr. Max." Beitr. II. 48. 
Cebus ursinos Fisch. Syn. Mam. 
SiMiA UasiNA (Araguato de Caracas). — Humb. Obs. Zool. p. 329 and 
355. 
Icon. Mycetes ursinus.* — Pr. Max. Abbild.3 
Humb. Obs. Zool. pi. 30. 
SrECIFIC characters. 
The Hair reddish-brown throughout, scanty on the abdomen ; the 
beard strong and thick. 
The Face naked and blackish. 
The naked portion of the Tail black. 
Inhabits Brazil. 
The Ursine Howler does not differ greatly from the preceding 
species. 
It abounds in the primitive forests of Brazil, where it interrupts the 
silence of iiiglit by its stunning howl, resembling the sound of a drum. 
The natives regard it as very excellent game, especially in winter, when 
it is very fat. Being of a very mild nature, it is easily tamed when taken 
young ; but the slowness of its movements, and the disagreeable mono- 
tony of its howl, must render it by no means a very agreeable domestic 
animal. It appears to inhabit a great portion of Soutli America. 
The hair, which is of a uniform reddish-brown, is mucii darker in the 
young, but approaches in the adult to a rusty red, or reddish-brown. M. 
Humboldt, wlio frequently observed tlie females carrying their young upon 
the slioulders, did not remark any difference in the colours of tlie sexes. 
They arc found in immense numbers, sometimes as many as forty being 
seen on a single tree. The leaves of trees, rather than the fruit, appear 
to be tlieir habitual food. Wlien domesticated, tliey are more steady 
than most other Monkeys, and apparently of a less delicate constitution. 
Var. Fuscua.— B rown Howler. 
Sxjn. Stentor roscos,— -Geoff. Ann. Mus. XIX. 
Mvcetes foscus Desm. Mam Kulil. Beitr. 
Icon. Spix,^ Sim. ct Vespert. Bras. pi. 30. (Mycetes fuscus mas.) 
This is considered by some to be the Oiiarine of Biiffon, but it under- 
goes mucli variation. Though generally of a dark cliestnut brown, with 
tile back and head passing to a bright cliestnut, and the points of the 
hairs golden yellow, it seems scarcely distinguisiiable from the Ursine 
Howler already described. 
There appear to be some other species, which are of a black, 
brown, or paler colour. In one oftlieni this pale tint is ascertained 
to belong to the female [and young], 
3. MYCETES CHRYSURUS.— GOLDEN-TAILED HOWLER. 
S<jn. Stentor chrysurus (L’Hurleur a queue doriie). — Isid. Geoff. Mem. Mus. 
XVII. 
Icon. Isid. Geoff. Etud. Zool. pi. 7 (Mamraiferes). 
specific characters. 
The Hair of the back, sides, and hinder half of the tail, bright golden 
yellow; elsewlierc dark chestnut brown. 
The Face almost naked. 
Inharits Columbia. 
The Golden-tailed lias long been confounded with the Ursine Howler. 
It occurs frequently on tlie banks of the Magdalena, wliere it is known 
by tlie name of Araguato, whicli term is applied indiscriminately to se- 
'^eral different species of Monkeys, ail agreeing, liowevcr, in bavin*' a beard. 
Like most other Monkeys, it lives in troops. M. Roulin informs us, that 
when a troop of these Howlers is passing from one tree to another, all 
the individuals composing it act in a manner precisely similar to each 
other, as in the school-boys’ game of “ follow-the-leader they leap suc- 
cessively to the same points, and place their hands in the same positions, 
as if each individual were obliged to imitate the motions of the animal 
preceding it. 
On the hinder half of the tail, and on the upper surface of the body, 
from the shoulders to the insertion of the tail, the hair is of a very bril- 
liant golden yellow ; on the rest of tlie tail it is of a light chestnut brown ; 
while on the remainder of the body, head, and limbs, it is of a very dark 
cliestnut brown, especially on the limbs, where it merges into a violaceous 
tint. The ftice is almost wholly naked, but less so than in the Royal 
Howler. 
4. MYCETES NIGER.— BLACK HOWLER. 
Sxjn. Stentor nicer. — Geoff. Ann. Mus. XIX. — Desm. Mam. 
Cebus Caraya. — Fiscli. Syn. Mam. 
SiMiA Caraya. — Humb. Obs. Zool. p. 355. 
Mvcetes nicer.— Pr. Max. Beitr. II. 66. 
Le Caraya. — D’Amwa,® Quadr. Parag. II. p. 208. 
Icon. Mvcetes barbatus.® — Spix, Sim. et Vespert Bras. pi. 32 (male) Ib. 
pi. 33 (fern, and young). 
Mycetes niger. — Pr. Max, Abbild. (fern). 
specific characters, 
the male. 
The Hair soft and long ; entirely black, tending to reddish on the breast ; 
the beard very long. 
THE female and YOUNG. 
The Hair light greyish-yellow- 
Inhabits Brazil. 
This Howler, called Bugiu by the Brazilians, is found plentifully in the 
interior of Minas Geraes and Bahia, among the low forests, distinguished 
by the name of Catinga. They live much retired, but always in numerous 
troops. In some parts of Bahia, the males are becoming very rare, owing 
to their being much hunted for their elegant black fur, wliicli is used for 
ornamenting hats and saddles. They have the sagacity, when attacked, 
of sheltering themselves behind trunks and branches; and unless surprised 
by a sudden shot, they place themselves in such a position, that their 
bodies when deprived of life cannot fall to the ground. On this account 
the hunter loses the greater part of his game, as the trees which they fre- 
quent are almost inaccessible. The flesh of this species is preferred by 
the Portuguese and South American Indians to that of Ducks and several 
other animals. 
The Black Howler is generally very corpulent. Its hair is plentiful 
above, but very scanty on tlie interior surface of the entire body, except- 
ing on the centre of the breast, where there is a tuft of black liairs found 
in both sexes. The hair of the body, limbs, tail, and beard, is of a shin- 
ing black in the adult male; on the top of the head and back of the neck 
it tends slightly to a brown, and to a greyish-white on the fingers. The 
liairs lie flat on the back and tail, are directed forwards on the top of the 
head; while they are short, straight, and directed backwards, on the fore- 
head. Tlie entire face is surrounded by a very dense beard ; but is naked 
on the foreliead, beneath the eyes, on the lips and chin, with a few scat- 
tered black, .stiff, and short hairs, mixed with others of considerable length. 
The cars are round, very distinct, and slightly hairy behind. The tail is 
nearly as long as the body, very thick, with about a fourth part of its 
under surface callous, and sloping gradually to a point. Tlie nails are 
rather long, black, slightly curved, and tlie tliumh of tlie liindcr-hands 
flattened. Its voice resembles tlie croaking of a Prog. The female has 
tlie same characters, excepting tliat her body is less corpulent ; tlie back, 
and sometimes the upjier surface of tlie tail, is blackish ; the remainder of 
the body of a greyisli-yellow, tlie beard less dense, sliortcr, divided near 
tlie tliroat, and of a greyish or reddish-yellow. Tlie foreliead is broader, 
and marked on the sides and at tlie centre of the foreliead by dark brown 
lines : the tail is less tliick and callous beneath for nearly one-half of its 
length. Tlie young have the same characters as the females, excepting 
tliat the dark hues become deeper with tlieir age. 
* I’r. Max. 
Beitr — Boitriige zur Natui-gesohichte von Brasilion, von Maximilian, Prinzen zu Wiod. Weimar, 1825. 
more the Mycotos ursinus of Prinoo Maximilian, the Baron Cuvier remarks, “ It appears to he much browner than the nrsinus of H. Gooffroy, and to approach 
of tl ^ 51. discolor of Spix, pi. 30 and 34. It is tins last which appears to be the Stentor fuscus of Geoff.” We do not coincide in this opinion 
30 /m f apiicars to us that Spix, pi. 34 ( Jl. discolor), is tlie Cobus Bcizebul of Erxleben, and merely a variety of the Stentor uigor of Geoffrey ; while Spix, pi. 
t,JU. tuscuB), IS identical with tlie S. fuscus of Gooffroy, and a variety of the M. ursinus. See the Synonyms in the text. 
“s c"’ — Ahbildungen zur Naturgeschichto Br.isiliens, herausgegeben von M,aximilian, Prinzen von Wiod. Weimar, 1824—1831. 
Souri' ''e“feut. Bras — S imiarum et Vesportiliouum BrasilieiiBium Species Novas, ou Histoire Naturelle dcs Espisces Notivelles dc Singes ct do Chauve 
do e •’ ■’f reciieillics pendant le voyage dans I'lntcricur du Brissil, execute par ordre dc S. JI. Lc RoL do Bavihre, dans les anuees 1817 a 1820, puhlice par .lean 
5>pix. Monachii, Itjog. . i wu 
I n ^ I’.'RAG.—Essais sur i’llistoirc Naturelle dos Quadrupedes de la Province du Paraguay, par Dou Felix d’Azara, ocrits depuis 1783 iusnu’ on 1700 
waumts par M. L. E. Morean-Saiut-JIdry, Paris, 1801. x i , 
of Ex (Bras. 227) describes a species of Howler entirely black and bearded. The figure will be found at p. 228 of tliat work, but under tlie erroneous name 
Kuhl TTp ' !■“ Mycetes barbatus of Spix, pi. 32. The female, pi. 33, is of a pale yellowish-grey, aud the male will be found to be the Jlycetes niger of 
bahlv "'''■‘‘I Neuwied. Tho Caraya of Azara, said to be black, with the'brcast and belly darkjrcd, and the female of which is brownish, will pro- 
namy bclopg W this species.— Note of the Baron Cuvier. . ■■ ■> - ■ > I 
