560 
MAMMALIA. 
other extremity lets go his hold, and thus all gain the desired 
side. 
The Ateles live in troops, and feed on insects which they 
pursue on the trees. They occasionally descend to the ground, 
to search for small fish and molluscs, which they find in the mud- 
on the hanks of the rivers, and which they add to their alimenta- 
tion. Some writers even assert that they venture on to the beds 
of rivers when the waters are low, to capture Oysters and other 
bivalves, which they know how to open with great adroitness. 
The Ateles are naturally gentle and timid, but they acclimatise 
with difficulty in Europe. When they do not perish during the 
voyage they die soon after their arrival, and most frequently 
from the effects of cold. Their voice is soft and sweet, like the 
notes of a flute. 
About a dozen species of Ateles are known, and these inhabit 
Guiana, Brazil, Peru, and Columbia. They are very plentiful in 
the forests bordering on the rivers Amazon, Santiago, Orinoco, 
Magdalene, &c. 
Genus Sajiajou . — The Sapajous mark the limit of the Monkeys 
with prehensile tails ; they only possess in a feeble degree the 
characteristic of this tribe. With them, in fact, the tail is unpro- 
vided with any real callosity, and is only prehensile at its termi- 
nation. Nevertheless, this organ preserves its development, and 
contributes to the steadiness as well as to the variety of the 
animal’s movements. 
The Sapajous are smaller, but not so slim, as the Ateles. They 
live in bands in the forests of Columbia, Peru, Guiana, Brazil, 
and Paraguay, usually keeping to the highest branches of the 
trees. They feed on fruits, insects, worms, molluscs, eggs, and 
even small birds. Several species of Carnivora and Serpents 
persecute them incessantly. The latter more particularly inspire 
them with terrible fear. 
The Sapajous possess an unequalled amount of agility and petu- 
lance, and are capricious to excess. At the same time they are 
very intelligent, very gentle, and very familiar, and disposed to be 
affectionate towards those who take an interest in them. Thus it is 
that they are in demand in all civilised countries ; in the hands 
of mountebanks and wandering musicians they become objects 
of amusement to the multitude. They are trained to a great 
