Marvels of the Universe 835 
28, 
Photo by] LW. Ss. erridge, 
THE WHITE-HEADED SAKI. 
The morose and grotesque appearance of this South American monkey belies its natural character, for it is shy and inoffen- 
sive, and does not long survive captivity. Except for the head, the monkey is entirely black, with coarse matted hair and a very 
bushy tail. The large white beard which surrounds the face adds to the effect of human caricature. 
THE WHITE-HEADED SAKI 
Tue kindred tribes of monkeys and apes are notable for the unexampled ugliness of many of their 
members. Their position in the scale of creation is, no doubt, responsible for this notoriety, for 
while they are sufficiently allied to man to invite comparison with the higher animal, man himself 
has attained so much higher a level of mental development and physical beauty that the want of 
such qualities in the ape is made all the more apparent. When, therefore, we come across monkeys 
which look for all the world like some human caricature, our curiosity and astonishment cannot 
fail to be aroused, and so it is that certain species, as, for example, the Chimpanzee, the Orang- 
utan and the Gorilla have become notorious for their grotesque human characteristics. 
A more uncommon case of peculiarly human appearance is that of the White-headed Saki, 
which, with its squat nose, its bushy white beard and shaggy eyebrows, bears a striking resemblance 
to a fat, heavy-jowled and ill-favoured misanthrope. Appearances, however, belie the gentle and 
inoffensive nature of the creature, for the Saki is shy and silent and too delicate to long survive 
captivity. 
The Saki race inhabit Guiana and the valleys of the Amazon. They are distinguished from their 
near allies, the Douroucolis, and from all other American monkeys, by the position of the teeth in 
the lower jaw, which are thrown forward out of the vertical. The jaw itself curves out considerably 
as it nears the socket. Like the Douroucolis, the tails of the Sakis are not adapted for climbing 
purposes. The colouring of the White-headed Saki is, as the name implies, white or yellowish on 
the forehead, with a black streak in the centre, the rest of the body is completely black. The hair, 
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