Part 12

HABITS.--Nothing is known of the individual habits of this species.

IX. THE YELLOW-TAILED TAMARIN. MIDAS CHRYSOPYGUS.

_Hapale chrysopyga_, Wagner, in Schreb. Säugeth., i., Simiæ, p. 249 (1840); Schl., Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 254 (1876).

CHARACTERS.--Similar to _M. fuscicollis_. Black, with the thighs, legs, and base of tail rusty-red.

DISTRIBUTION.--Brazil, near Ypanéma, Province of St. Paulo.

{145}X. THE BLACK AND RED TAMARIN. MIDAS NIGRICOLLIS.

_Midas nigricollis_, Spix, Sim. et Vespert. Bras., p. 28, pl. 21 (1823).

_Midas rufoniger_, I. Geoffr. et Deville, C. R., xxvii., p. 499 (1848); Is. Geoffr., Cat. Méth. Primates, p. 64 (1851); Castelnau, Expéd. Amér. Sud, pl. v., fig. 3 (1855); Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 67 (1870).

_Hapale nigricollis_, Schl., Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 264 (1876).

CHARACTERS.--Differs from _M. fuscicollis_ in having the back, loins, thighs, and legs bright reddish-chestnut. (_Gray._) Mouth bordered with longish white hairs.

DISTRIBUTION.--The Upper Amazon Region. (_Bates._) The Black and Red Tamarin is considered by Mr. Bates to be a form or race of the same stock as _M. ursulus_, modified to suit the altered local conditions of its home, for in the Upper Amazon Region, as Mr. Wallace has pointed out, the seasons, as well as the nature of the country, differ very considerably.

HABITS.--Mr. Bates states that in its habits the present species is similar to _Midas ursulus_. "One day," he says, "whilst walking along a forest pathway, I saw one of these lively little fellows miss his grasp as he was passing from one tree to another along with his troop. He fell head foremost from a height of at least fifty feet; but managed cleverly to alight on his legs on the pathway; quickly turning round, he gave me a good stare for a few minutes, and then bounded off gaily to climb another tree."

XI. ILLIGER'S TAMARIN. MIDAS ILLIGERI.

_Hapale illigeri_, Pucher., Rev. Zool., 1845, p. 336.

{146}_Midas illigeri_, Geoffr., Cat. Méth. Primates, p. 65 (1851); Schl., Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 65 (1876).

_Midas flavifrons_, var. _d._ Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 67 (1870).

_Midas devillii_ (nec Geoffr.), Sclater, P. Z. S., 1871, p. 220, pl. xiii.

CHARACTERS.--Head black; back black, washed with grey; back of head, nape of neck, shoulders and humeral region black, washed with reddish-brown; under side and the outer and inner surface of both limbs red; tail at base and tip red, intermediate portion black.

The sexes hardly differ; the male being merely rather larger and darker, especially on the head and nape, where the hair is longer.

DISTRIBUTION.--Mr. E. Bartlett says that this was the only _Midas_ met with by him in Eastern Peru. It was plentiful everywhere in the Peruvian Amazons; and he obtained specimens both on the Huallaga and Ucayali rivers.

HABITS.--This species is extremely delicate, and will not bear the least cold. "I have had them alive," writes Mr. Edward Bartlett, "for two or three weeks; but they appear to suffer from cold and die. They are kept, however, by the Indian women, who make pets of them and put them into the long hair on their heads. With this protection they are able to live for a long time. Having become tame, they frequently hop out and feed, or, having captured a spider or two, scamper back again, and hide under the luxuriant crop of their owners, who are generally unwilling to part with them."

em00With the succeeding species commences the group of Tamarins with no mane and without white lips.

{147}XII. THE PIED TAMARIN. MIDAS BICOLOR.

_Midas bicolor_, Spix, Sim. et Vespert. Bras, p. 31, pl. 24, fig. 1 (1823).

_Hapale bicolor_, Wagner in Schreb., Säugeth., v., p. 135, pl. 12 (1855); Schl., Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 257 (1876).

_Seniocebus bicolor_, Gray, Cat. Monkeys, Brit. Mus., p. 68 (1870).

CHARACTERS.--Head naked in front of the ears in the adult; hind-part of the head covered with long white hairs; ears exposed, naked; tail not ringed, the upper side black; nose and lips black; neck, chest and arms white; face, body, and hind-limbs brown; under side of tail, inner side of limbs, and the abdomen ferruginous.

In the young animal, the face is rather hairy and the forehead naked. (_Gray._)

DISTRIBUTION.--The eastern bank of the Rio Negro, a northern tributary of the Amazon. Mr. Bates obtained a specimen at Barra, where it was rather common in the forest; and, he adds: "This place, a waterfall near Barra, which its citizens consider as the chief natural curiosity of their neighbourhood, is classic ground to the naturalist, from having been a favourite spot with the celebrated travellers Spix and Martius, during their stay at Barra in 1820. Von Martius was so much impressed by its magical beauty, that he commemorated the visit by making a sketch of the scenery, to serve as background in one of the plates of his great work on the Palms."

HABITS.--Keeping together in small troops, running along the main boughs of the loftier trees, climbing perpendicular trunks, but never taking flying leaps.

{148}XIII. LACÉPEDE'S TAMARIN. MIDAS MIDAS.

_Simia midas_, Linn., Syst. Nat., i., p. 42 (1766).

_Simia lacepedii_, Fischer, Bull. Soc. Mosc., 1806, p. 23.

_Midas rufimanus_, Geoffr., Ann. Mus., xix., p. 121 (1812).

_Midas ursulus_, var. Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 68 (1870).

_Hapale midas_, Schl., Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 266 (1876).

CHARACTERS.--General colour black; hands and feet golden-yellow or bright rusty-red; ears short, haired. The young males resemble the adults.

DISTRIBUTION.--Surinam.

XIV. THE NEGRO TAMARIN. MIDAS URSULUS.

_Midas ursulus_, Geoffr., Ann. Mus., xix., p. 121 (1812); Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 68 (1870).

_Midas tamarin_, Slack, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc. Philad., 1861, p. 464.

_Hapale ursula_, Schl., Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 265 (1876).

CHARACTERS.--Body long, slender, covered with soft thick fur; ears large, naked; the face haired. General colour black; nose and lips black; hinder part of the body rather mottled or banded with reddish-brown or greyish-white; the hands sometimes black and sometimes yellow. Length, 9 inches; tail, 15 inches.

DISTRIBUTION.--Found on the Lower Amazon, near Para. Mr. Bates says it is not met with in the Upper Amazon Region, but in its stead a closely allied species (_Midas nigricollis_), presents itself.[9]

{149}HABITS.--"The _Midas ursulus_ is never seen," writes Mr. Bates, "in large flocks; three or four is the greatest number observed together. It seems to be less afraid of the neighbourhood of Man than any other Monkey. I sometimes saw it in the woods which border the suburban streets, and once I espied two individuals in a thicket behind the English Consul's house at Nazareth. Its mode of progression along the main boughs of the lofty trees is like that of the Squirrels; it does not ascend to the slender branches, or take wonderful flying leaps like those Monkeys whose prehensile tails and flexible hands fit them for such headlong travelling. It confines itself to the larger boughs and trunks of trees, its long nails being of great assistance to the creature, enabling it to cling securely to the bark; and it is often seen passing rapidly round the perpendicular cylindrical trunks. It is a quick, restless, timid little creature, and has a great share of curiosity, for when a person passes by under the trees along which a flock is running, they always stop for a few moments to have a stare at the intruder." In Para, the Negro Tamarin "is often seen in a tame state in the houses of the inhabitants.... When first taken, or when kept tied up, it is very timid and irritable. It will not allow itself to be approached, but keeps retreating backwards when anyone attempts to coax it. It is always in a querulous humour, uttering a twittering, complaining noise; its dark, watchful eyes, expressive of distrust, are observant of every movement which takes place near it. When treated kindly, however, as it generally is in the houses of the natives, it becomes very tame and familiar.... It is generally fed on sweet fruits, such as the banana; but it is also fond of insects, especially soft-bodied spiders and grasshoppers, which it will snap up with eagerness when within {150}reach. The expression of countenance in these small Monkeys is intelligent and pleasing. This is partly owing to the open facial angle, which is given as one of 60°, but the quick movements of the head, and the way they have of inclining it on one side, when their curiosity is excited, contribute very much to give them a knowing expression.... In mobility of expression of countenance, intelligence and general manners, these small Monkeys resemble the higher Apes far more than they do any rodent animal with which I am acquainted, notwithstanding their apparently low organisation in many points."

This description of the habits of the Negro Tamarin may be taken as representative of those of the various species of the genus, of whom only glimpses can be caught in their homes, which are the safe altitudes of the giants of the virgin forests of Brazil.

THE CAPUCHINS, HOWLERS, AND SPIDER-MONKEYS, &c. FAMILY CEBIDÆ.

This family embraces the typical Platyrrhine Monkeys, and to it belongs the great majority of the American species. As already pointed out (p. 127) their nose is flat, and the partition between the nostrils, which open sideways, is very broad, and separates them widely. They are essentially quadrupedal, and walk with the soles of both pairs of limbs flat to the ground. The Spider-Monkeys occasionally, however, assume an erect posture. "They all possess tails, and in some genera (_e.g._, _Ateles_) this organ becomes very flexible and muscular, and the under surface of its curled extremity is devoid of hair and highly sensitive. The tail thus modified is a powerful prehensile organ and serves for a fifth hand." (_Huxley._) In these {151}Monkeys there are no cheek-pouches, nor ischial callosities. Except in the Spider-Monkeys the hind-limbs are longer than the fore-; "while the thumb, even where it is best developed, is capable of but a partial opposition to the other fingers, bending almost in the same plane with the latter, so as to be more like a fifth finger." (_Mivart._) Nevertheless, all its muscles, except the long flexor, are present. The great-toe is large and can be moved from and to the side of the other digits, but is not opposable to them.

The skull is smooth and has no muscular crests; the external bony tube to the ear is not ossified. The two extremes in its form are presented by the Howling Monkeys (_Alouatta_) and the Squirrel-Monkeys (_Chrysothrix_), as pointed out by Professor Huxley in his "Anatomy of Vertebrated Animals": "In the former the face is very large and prominent, with a low facial angle. The roof of the brain-case is depressed; the plane of the _occipital foramen_ [for the passage of the spinal cord] is almost perpendicular" to the axis of the base of the skull. "In _Chrysothrix_, on the contrary, the face is relatively small, with a high facial angle; the brain-case is moderately arched;" and the plane of the _occipital foramen_ is horizontal.

The dentition of the _Cebidæ_ is very characteristic of the family. The dental formula is I2/2, C1/1, P3/3, M3/3 and the teeth thirty-six in all--a larger number than is found in any of the Old World forms, or in the species of the last family (the _Hapalidæ_); for they possess an extra pre-molar tooth above and below on each side. Their molar teeth are four-cusped; and in the upper molars of the Spider-Monkeys (_Ateles_) and of the Howlers (_Alouatta_) there is an oblique cusp, such as is found in the molars of the _Lemuroidea_, joining the hind inner to the front outer cusp. Among the _Cebidæ_ the brain varies {152}very much; the posterior lobes of the main brain (or cerebral hemispheres, which are almost always convoluted) are also almost always so large as to entirely cover over the cerebellum (or hind brain), a relation which does not exist between these two regions of the brain in the _Lemuroidea_. The cerebellum, however, in the Howlers is slightly uncovered. The absolute size of the brain never, in any Ape, approaches that of Man. None of the _Cebidæ_ attain the size of even the medium-sized Old World Apes.

The _Cebidæ_ are all arboreal, and strictly confined to the forest regions of Tropical America, from the southern part of Mexico to about the parallel of 30° S. lat. They are divided into four sub-families, namely: The Douroucolis, or Night-Monkeys (_Nyctipithecinæ_); the Saki Monkeys (_Pitheciinæ_); the Howlers (_Mycetinæ_); and the Capuchin Monkeys (_Cebinæ_).

THE NIGHT-MONKEYS. SUB-FAMILY NYCTIPITHECINÆ.

The Night-Monkeys are small and elegant animals covered with long hair, and having long bushy tails, which are not prehensile, although they can be curled round a branch of a tree. The caudal vertebræ in these creatures are consequently not flattened from above downward, as is the case in the prehensile-tailed groups, but rounded. Their lower incisor teeth are set vertically and their thumb is fairly well developed.

This sub-family contains three genera, the Squirrel-Monkeys (_Chrysothrix_); the Whaiapu-Sais, or Titis (_Callithrix_); and the typical Night-Monkeys, or Douroucolis (_Nyctipithecus_).

THE SQUIRREL-MONKEYS. GENUS CHRYSOTHRIX.

_Chrysothrix_, Kaup., Thierreich., i., p. 51 (1835).

{153}The Saimiris, or Squirrel-Monkeys, are very beautiful and active little animals, characterised by their soft, close, and erect fur, and especially in having the head produced posteriorly. The face is relatively small and has a high facial angle. The eyes are large, directed forwards, and set very close together. The ears are large; and the nose has a very broad partition between its nostrils. The tail is long, round, and covered with short hair; but tufted at the extremity and non-prehensile.

As regards the skeleton, the skull is elongated, and the arched cranial portion prolonged backwards, the length of the base of the skull being shorter than the cerebral cavity. The facial portion of the skull is relatively smaller and the cranial larger even than in Man; this character being, however, common to all the smaller representatives of particular groups, and "obviously necessary to provide the requisite amount of brain-space." (_Mivart._) The angle of the lower jaw is narrow behind. The bony partition between the nostrils is very thin and membranaceous; and that between the large orbits is also thin and imperfect. The lower incisor teeth are vertical, and in regular series with the canines, and the latter are well developed. No Primate has the teeth placed in one uninterrupted series except Man; but there is always a small interval between each upper canine and the adjacent incisor, and between each lower canine and the adjacent pre-molar.

The skeleton of the hand is one-fifth of the length of the spinal column. The wrist-bones are nine in number, the central--_os centrale_--being present as in the majority of Monkeys. In _Chrysothrix_ and in _Nyctipithecus_ also, the thumb is proportionately shorter than in any other genus, except among the Spider-Monkeys (_Ateles_), and the Old World {154}Guerezas (_Colobus_). In the length of their foot the members of this genus approximate to the proportion existing in Man; and its length, compared with that of the hand, is greater in _Chrysothrix_ than in any other group of Monkeys.

The cerebral hemispheres project beyond the hind brain (_cerebellum_) to a greater relative extent than in any other mammal, namely, to one-fifth of their total length. (_Huxley._) The external surface of the cerebral hemispheres is almost as little convoluted as in the Marmosets and Tamarins, in which it is almost quite smooth, yet on the inner faces of the hemispheres the more important grooves (_sulci_) are present. The opening for the passage of the spinal cord lies nearly in the middle of the base of the skull, whereas in other genera it is situated closer to the hinder region.

The Squirrel-Monkeys are entirely arboreal, and found in most of the tropical regions from Costa Rica to Brazil and Bolivia, being among the commonest of the Anthropoids of the American forests. They are diurnal, and feed chiefly on insects; but they will also often attack and devour small birds.

I. THE SHORT-TAILED SQUIRREL-MONKEY. CHRYSOTHRIX USTA.

_Saimiris usta_, Is. Geoffr., Arch. Mus., iv., p. 15, pl. 1 (1844).

_Saimiris ustus_, Bartlett, P. Z. S., 1871, p. 219; Sclater, P. Z. S., 1872, p. 688, fig. of head.

_Chrysothrix ustus_, Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 53 (1870).

_Saimiri sciureus_ (nec L.), Schl., Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 242 (1876, pt.)

CHARACTERS.--Face white; head grizzled grey, minutely punctulated with black, the hairs grey with black tips; outer side of fore-arm grizzled grey, but in some species golden; back {155}grizzled grey, washed with golden, the tips of the hairs black; tail short, thick and grey, but with the tip black.

DISTRIBUTION.--The forests of Bolivia and Brazil. This is a common species, inhabiting the whole of the Peruvian Amazons, and may be met with on every stream. (_E. Bartlett._)

HABITS.--Arboreal and gregarious, moving about in large numbers through the forest, feeding on insects--chiefly orthoptera and spiders--small birds, and fruits.

II. THE BLACK-HEADED SQUIRREL-MONKEY. CHRYSOTHRIX ENTOMOPHAGA.

_Callithrix entomophagus_, d'Orb., Voy. Amér. Mér., iv., Mamm. pl. 4 (1836).

_Callithrix boliviensis_, d'Orb., Nouv. Ann. Mus., iii., p. 89 (1834).

_Saimiris entomophagus_, d'Orb., Voy. Amér. Mér., iv., Mamm., text, p. 10 (1847); Is. Geoffr., Cat. Méth. Primates, p. 38 (1851).

_Saimiri entomophagus_, Schl., Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 246 (1876).

_Chrysothrix sciurea_ (nec L.), Frantz. in Wiegm. Arch. f. Nat., xxxix., p. 260 (1869).

_Chrysothrix entomophagus_, Wagn., Ann. Nat. Hist., xii., p. 42 (1843); Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 53 (1870).

CHARACTERS.--Face grey, washed with yellow; ears haired; head black; hairs of back black, with long yellow tips, or yellow with black tips, producing a shade of brown washed with golden; outer side of upper part of arms and legs yellow, peppered with black; throat, under surface of body and inside of limbs yellowish-grey; tail long, black.

{156}In some species the upper part of the head has a shade of yellow, caused by the colour of the lower half of the hairs showing through the black tips.

DISTRIBUTION.--Bolivia; Veragua, Central America; and the warmer regions of Costa Rica, where it inhabits the humid forests.

III. THE COMMON SQUIRREL-MONKEY. CHRYSOTHRIX SCIUREA.

_Simia sciurea_, Linn., Syst. Nat., i., p. 43 (1766); Humb., Obs. Zool., p. 334 (var. _cassiquiarensis_).

_Callithrix sciureus_, Geoffr., Ann. Mus., xix., p. 113 (1812).

_Saimiri sciureus_, Cuv., Reg. An., p. 103, pl. 1 (1829); Schl., Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 242 (1876).

_Chrysothrix lunulata_, Geoffr., Arch. Mus., iv., p. 18 (1844).

_Chrysothrix sciurea_, Wagner in Schreb., Säugth. Suppl., v., p. 120, pl. 9, (1855); Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 53 (1870); Sclater, P. Z. S., 1880, p. 395.

_Chrysothrix nigrivittata_, Wagn., Abh. bay. Ak. München, v., p. 461.

CHARACTERS.--Smaller than the two preceding species; face greyish-white; chin round and prominent; head blackish-grey; back grey, or grey washed with gold, the basal part of the hairs golden and the tips black; outer side of the fore-arm yellow; tail long, slender, grizzled grey, with the tip black. Length of the body, 10 inches; of the tail, 14 inches.

Certain females, examined by Dr. Sclater, had a distinct black line along the side of the crown above each ear and extending in front, down the side of the face, nearly to a level {157}with the angle of the mouth; but Mr. Buckley says the Indians consider the black lines to be merely a sign of age.

DISTRIBUTION.--This species has an extensive range, being found on both banks of the Amazon, Rio Negro, and on the Copataza river; also in Guiana, Surinam, and Colombia, near Bogotá.

HABITS.--Like its congeners, the Common Squirrel-Monkey is arboreal, going about in large flocks. Their food consists of insects and fruits. Mr. Bates observes that the "pretty little _Chrysothrix sciureus_ contents itself with devouring what fruit it can on the spot," thus differing from certain species of _Cebus_, which destroy more than they eat, and when about to return to the forest, carry away all they can in their hands or under their arms.

Mr. Darwin has remarked in his "Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals," that "with Monkeys the expression of any painful emotion is not easily distinguished from that of anger." "Humboldt," he adds, "also asserts that the eyes of the _Callithrix sciureus_ 'instantly fill with tears when it is seized with fear'; but when this pretty little Monkey in the Zoological Gardens was teased, so as to cry out loudly, this did not occur. I do not, however, wish to throw the least doubt on the accuracy of Humboldt's statement."

This species is a great favourite wherever it has been kept in captivity. It is very bright coloured, has a baby-like face, large and bright eyes, and most gentle manners. These Monkeys are very sensitive to cold, and when a sudden fall in the temperature takes place, they huddle close together, clasping each other with their arms, and embracing their neighbours and themselves with their long tails.

{158}IV. THE RED-BACKED TITI. CHRYSOTHRIX OERSTEDI.

_Saimaris sciurea ?_ (nec Linn.), Sclater, P. Z. S., 1856, p. 139.

_Chrysothrix sciurea_ (nec Linn.), Scl., N. H. Rev., 1861, p. 510; Frantz. Arch. f. Naturg., xxxv. (1), p. 260.

_Chrysothrix oerstedi_, Reinh. Vidensk. Medd. Nat. For. Kjöbenh., p. 157, pl. iii. (1872); Alston, in Godm. et Salv., Biol. Centr. Am. Mamm., p. 16, pl. ii. (1879).

_Saimiris entomophaga_, Sclater, P. Z. S., 1872, p. 3 (nec d'Orb.).

_Saimiri örstedii_, Schl., Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 245 (1876).

CHARACTERS.--Differs from _C. sciurea_ in having the top of the head black, the back and sides shining red, and the limbs olive.

DISTRIBUTION.--Panama, Guatemala, Costa Rica, especially their hotter districts,--being particularly abundant in the Valley of Terraba and on the plain of Piris.

THE TITI MONKEYS. GENUS CALLITHRIX.

_Callithrix_, Geoffr., Ann. Mus., xix., p. 112 (1812).

This genus is intermediate between the Squirrel-Monkeys and the typical Night-Monkeys. In the Titis, sometimes known by the name also of Whaiapu-Sai Monkeys, the fur is soft, the head small, depressed, and not produced backward as in _Chrysothrix_; the tail is long and bushy; the eyes are small, and the orbits intermediate in size between those of the last and the next genus; the nasal partition is broad, and the ears large. The canine teeth are small, and the angle of the lower jaw expanded, somewhat as in the Howlers (_Mycetes_), though to a less extent.

{159}The Titi Monkeys are diurnal animals, arboreal and gregarious, very lively in disposition, noisy and agile, living on fruit, insects, birds' eggs, and even small birds. They range all over South America, from Panama to the southern limits of the forest regions.

I. THE WHITE-COLLARED TITI. CALLITHRIX TORQUATA.

_Cebus torquatus_, Hoffm., Mag. Ges. Nat. Freund. Berlin, x., p. 86 (1807).

_Simia lugens_, Humb., Obs. Zool., i., p. 319 (1811).

_Callithrix lugens_, Geoffr., Ann. Mus., xix., p. 113 (1812).

_Saguinus vidua_, Lesson, Species Mamm. Bimanes et Quadrum., p. 165 (1840).

_Callithrix torquatus_, Geoffr., t. c. p. 114; Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 55 (1870).

_Callithrix torquata_, Schleg., Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 235 (1876).