THE SAVAGE WORLD. 
679 
turbed. Its color is a silvery gray, lined with brown on tbe ridge of tbe back, 
and orange-bued on the breast, belly and inner limbs. It takes its scientific 
name partly from its nocturnal habits and partly from three black lines, two of 
which bind its forehead, while the third runs from the top of the head in its 
centre to the base of the eyes. Its ears are so small that it has been called 
the earless monkey; its other names are the douroucouli , aotes and three-striped 
monkey. Its voice is variable, as at times it produces a miniature roar like 
that of the jaguar, at another time it spits, and mews, and hisses like a cat, 
and still again barks shrilly like a little puppy. 
The food of the night monkey is almost exclusively of an animal nature, 
and it may with propriety be classed among the insectivora, though it occa¬ 
sionally captures small birds 
when they are nesting. As 
soon as twilight begins to 
gather over the always deep 
shades of its forest home, the 
night monkey revives from its 
lethargy and soon after issues 
forth on its nightly rounds, 
full of extraordinary activity. 
The large eyes beam like coals 
of fire and the listless limbs 
become instinct with an aston- 
ishing activity. Its agility 
now becomes such that it not 
only leaps with wonderful ani¬ 
mation from tree to tree but 
contrives to catch the swiftest- 
winged insects that make noc¬ 
turnal excursions through the 
woods. It is generally very 
restless during the night, but 
will pause on some high perch 
for a few moments and watch 
for prey. So marvellously 
acute is its vision that if a 
winged insect comes within 
reach in a trice, and with a movement the eye is not quick enough to follow, it 
strikes out and with such precision that the prey is invariably secured. 
In making its quest for birds, of which it does not appear to be overly 
fond, the night monkey uses no small amount of cunning. Having discovered 
its nest, it takes a position always below and gradually crawls upward, observ¬ 
ing the utmost care in order not to startle the bird that may be sitting thereon. 
Having gained the required closeness to the nest, the monkey raises its fore¬ 
hand slowly above the prey and then suddenly seizes the bird, if she chance to 
be upon the nest, of which he is not certain until he makes the attack. The 
males are not only monogamous, but exhibit great devotion to their mates 
and young, being rarely seen separated by more than a few yards, and are 
continually manifesting their affection for one another by the most loving caresses. 
