Part 16

DISTRIBUTION.--Shores and islands of the lake of Nicaragua; Costa Rica; Panama; Islet of Hicaron, at the southern extremity of Quibo Island, off the Coast of Veragua. South of the Isthmus of Panama, the Red Howler (_A. senicula_) replaces the Mantled Howler.

HABITS.--The habits of the Mantled Howler do not differ widely from those of the species already described. It prefers the highest branches of the trees of the dense forests; and is harmless to the plantations of the natives. In disposition it is dull and melancholy, and is rarely kept in confinement. It is said, however, to reconcile itself to captivity more than some of the others referred to in previous pages. According to Dr. v. Frantzius, a tame male individual of this species was observed to howl whenever rain-clouds gathered, and also regularly at five o'clock every morning.

{204}THE CAPUCHINS AND SPIDER-MONKEYS. SUB-FAMILY CEBINÆ.

We now come to describe the remaining Monkeys of the New World. The _Cebinæ_ are characterised by having the incisors vertical, not procumbent; they have no inflated hyoid bone as in the foregoing Sub-family. The tail in all is long and prehensile, although in some species it is a less perfect grasping organ, being clothed with hair to the tip, instead of being there naked and highly sensitive. The thumb may be present or absent.

This Sub-family contains four genera: the Capuchins (_Cebus_); The Woolly Monkeys (_Lagothrix_); the Woolly Spider-Monkeys (_Eriodes_); and the Spider-Monkeys (_Ateles_). The species belonging to these genera are very numerous, and are found over the whole region from Mexico in the north, to Paraguay and Bolivia in the south, or from about 25° N. lat., to 30° S. lat.

THE CAPUCHINS. GENUS CEBUS.

_Cebus_, Erxleb., Syst. Regne Anim., p. 44 (1777).

This is the typical genus of the American Monkeys. They are distinguished by having a robust body, covered with woolly fur, with a rounded head and a face which, instead of having a protruding muzzle, is more erect and Man-like. They are the commonest Monkeys seen in captivity in our streets. Their tail is long and covered with hair to the tip, and, though prehensile, it is not the perfect substitute for an additional hand noticed in several other genera. Their limbs are only moderately long, and are less slender than in the Spider-Monkeys. The fore-limbs have a well-developed thumb, which, as compared with the length of the hand, is the most {205}Man-like of all the Apes; in some species the nails of the digits are compressed laterally.

In the skull the cranial portion exceeds the facial. Professor Mivart observes that in this group the facial part is relatively smaller than in many of the higher Old-World Apes. The skull has no external bony canal (or _meatus_) to the ear; and its frontal bones possess large air-cavities. In the Capuchins the incisor teeth are erect, and are always shorter than the canines. The molars are four-cusped, and have, on their crowns, two transverse ridges and the oblique ridge, already described in the _Lemuroidea_, from the front inner cusp to the hind outer cusp. These animals have also one milk-molar tooth more than in Man.

The outer surface of the main brain (_cerebrum_) is almost as much convoluted as in the Old World Apes.

The Capuchins range from Costa Rica to Paraguay, and are represented by about eighteen species. They are very gentle and docile animals.

F. Cuvier observes in his "Histoire Naturelle des Mammiferes," that of all the Quadrumana--indeed, of all the Mammals--there are none so difficult to characterise as the Capuchins of America, whose colours vary almost with every individual. No two authors agree in the number of species the genus contains. Brisson recognised three, Linnæus four, Gmelin six, Buffon two, and George Cuvier supposed it possible that they all belonged to but one species. Two causes help to produce this diversity of opinion; one is, as remarked above, the natural disposition which these animals have to vary, and to become lighter or darker in colour according to circumstances, and the other is the extremely close relationship that exists between the different species of the genus. Observations, {206}however, are not yet numerous enough, nor exact enough, to enable those who have only studied the species alive in Europe, or had skins, to decide with such imperfect data as to their sex, age, and habitat. Not until some naturalist has made a prolonged study of these animals in their native country, and watched their conduct and relations in the living state, can we hope to attain to any certain knowledge of how many species the genus contains; and of the differences between the old and young of both sexes at different periods from youth to age.

I. THE WHITE-THROATED CAPUCHIN. CEBUS HYPOLEUCUS.

_Saï á gorge blanche_, Buffon, Hist. Nat. Mamm., p. 64, pl. 15, fig. 9 (1767); Fr. Cuv., Hist. Nat. Mamm., livr. xvi.; Audeb., Hist. Nat. Singes, fam. v., sect. 2, pl. 5 (1797).

_Simia hypoleuca_, Humb., Obs. Zool., i., p. 337 (1811); Pucher., Rev. et Mag. de Zool. (2), 1857, p. 348.

_Cebus hypoleucus_, Geoffr., Ann. Mus., xix., p. 111 (1812); Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 50 (1870); Schl., Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 190 (1876).

_Cebus leucocephalus_, Gray, P. Z. S., 1865, p. 827, fig. 4; Sclater, P. Z. S., 1872, p. 4; Alston in Godman and Salvin, Biol. Centr. Am. Mamm., p. 13 (1879).

CHARACTERS.--Hair very silky, smooth and stiff, and thicker above than below. Face and forehead nude, flesh-coloured; hands and feet nude, of a violet hue, as also the thinly-haired skin of the under side of the body. The tip of the tail for a short distance being naked, distinguishes this species from all others. Shoulders, arms, and sides of the head behind the ears pure white; chest and throat yellowish; rest of the body deep black.

{207}Older individuals have the head longer than the younger ones, and the shoulders yellowish instead of white. Length of the body, 13½ inches; of the tail, 17 inches.

DISTRIBUTION.--This species was discovered by Humboldt in the low lands of Colombia. From Colombia its range extends north to Nicaragua. It has been obtained in Veragua, in Panama, in Costa Rica, and in the north-east of the country between the Pacuar and Chirripo rivers, and also on the mountains of Candalaria.

HABITS.--The White-throated Capuchin feeds partly on fruit, as Mr. Belt has narrated in his well-known "Naturalist in Nicaragua." He adds:--"It is incessantly on the look out for insects, examining the crevices in trees and withered leaves, seizing the largest beetles and munching them up with the greatest relish. It is also very fond of eggs and young birds, and must play havoc amongst the nestlings. Probably owing to its carnivorous habits, its flesh is not considered so good by Monkey-eaters as that of the fruit-eating Spider-Monkey; but I never myself tried either."

Mr. Salvin saw a troop of these Monkeys in company with several Spider-Monkeys by the margin of a watercourse in Nicaragua, and remarked that the actions of the latter were bolder and more active than those of the Capuchins, which were slower and more timid.

According to Cuvier, the cry of this animal in captivity is a continuous soft whistle until its wants are satisfied; if it wants nothing this whistle is intermittent, and very soft. When in terror, its cry is a veritable bark, broken by silent intervals.

It is extremely docile and very intelligent; the look in its eyes is remarkably penetrating, and it appears to read in the {208}eyes of its observer what is passing within him, and to comprehend every motion and gesture.

When pleased it utters a reiterated shrill note, and draws back the corners of its mouth, producing a smile by contracting the same muscles as in the human face.

II. THE WHITE-CHEEKED CAPUCHIN. CEBUS LUNATUS.

_Cebus lunatus_ (Sajou cornu), male; F. Cuv., Hist. Nat. Mamm., pl. 70 (nec Kuhl).

_Cebus vellerosus_, Is. Geoffr., Cat. Méth. Primates, p. 44 (1851, pt.).

_Cebus leucogenys_, Gray, P. Z. S., 1865, p. 824, pl. xlv.; id. Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 48 (1870).

_Cebus frontatus_, Schl., Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 206 (1876).

CHARACTERS.--Fur soft, elongate, silky, with thick under-fur. Hair on front of head elongate and reflexed, forming across the brow a short crest, higher above each eye; hair on top of head lying flat; that on cheeks short and adpressed; base of nose large, and corrugated longitudinally; toes long; tail longer than in other species; under surface of body less haired.

General colour silky brown, almost black on the head and limbs, paler on the shoulders and arms; the whiskers forming a white, or sometimes pale yellow, band, bordering the cheeks from opposite the eyes to the chin. Face and hands naked, violet; skin below the hair of the same colour.

The hair of the body is longer in winter than in spring; but the crests, or "horns," and the white whiskers appear only when the animal is fully adult.

DISTRIBUTION.--Brazil.

III. THE SLENDER CAPUCHIN. CEBUS FLAVUS.

_Cebus barbatus_, Geoffr., Ann. Mus., xix., p. 110 (1812); Schl,. Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 197 (1876).

{209}_Cebus albus_, Geoffr., t. c. p. 112 (albino).

_Cebus flavus_, Geoffr., Ann. Mus., xix., p. 112 (1812); Kuhl, Beitr. Zool., p. 33 (1820); d'Orbig., Voy. Amér. Mérid., iv., Mamm., p. 1, pl. 3 (1847); Schl., Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 204 (1876).

_Cebus gracilis_, Spix, Sim. et Vespert., Bras., p. 8, pl. 5 (1823, young).

_Cebus libidinosus_, Spix, t. c. p. 5, pl. 2 (1823).

_Cebus unicolor_, Spix, t. c. p. 7, pl. 4 (1823).

_Simia flavia_, Schreb., Säugeth., pl. 31B (1840).

_Cebus elegans_, Is. Geoffr., C. R., xxxi., p. 875 (1850).

_Caiarára branca_, Bates, Nat. Amaz., ii., p. 100 (1863).

_Cebus pallidus_, Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 49 (1870).

CHARACTERS.--Hairs of crown short and reflexed, forming a small short crest, separated by a median furrow on each side of the dark crown patch. Fur soft; the coronal patch on the back of the head small, black or brown; crest black.

General colour golden fulvous or greyish fulvous; limbs and tail dark brown; beard golden-red.

Varieties of this species are sometimes entirely fulvous, with the forehead white; others are entirely albino.

DISTRIBUTION.--Bolivia.

IV. THE SMOOTH-HEADED CAPUCHIN. CEBUS MONACHUS.

_Cebus monachus_, F. Cuv., Hist. Nat. Mammif., livr. xix. (1820).

_Le Saï a grosse tête_, male, F. Cuvier, _loc. cit._

_Cebus xanthocephalus_, Spix, Sim. et Vespert., Bras., p. 6, pl. 3 (1823); Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 50 (1870).

_Cebus cucullatus_, Spix, t. c. p. 9, pl. 6 (1823).

{210}_Cebus olivaceus_, Wagner in Schreb. Säugeth., Suppl., v., p, 87, pl. 8 (1855).

_Cebus variegatus_, Schl., Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 208 (1876).

(_Plate XIX._)

CHARACTERS.--Fur soft and stiff. Head large and round covered with short recumbent hairs. Face naked, pale round the prominent eyes; muzzle sharp, and of the same colour as that which surrounds the eyes; forehead, temples, throat, chest, under surface of body, sides of jaws, and front of arms, pale orange-yellow; outer side of arms, pale orange, washed with white; fore-arms, rump, hind-limbs, and tail black; a mixture of black and brown, expanding irregularly into spots on the yellow, covering the back, shoulders, and sides of body; a spot on the crown, black; a superciliary ridge forming a band of whiskers extending down the cheeks, and meeting under the chin, also black. Hands naked, violet, almost black.

Varieties occur with the shoulders and loins pale yellow, instead of mixed black and brown, and the outside of the thighs and the base of the tail, reddish. In some specimens the pale yellow of the back gives place to a white ground.

DISTRIBUTION.--Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Paraguay (?); Guiana.

HABITS.--Little is known of the habits of this species; but F. Cuvier, who had one under his care in the "Ménagerie Royale," in Paris, remarks that it had the confiding disposition characteristic of the Capuchins, although very timid. It exhibited a great desire to be caressed, was very affectionate and most intelligent. Its physiognomy, however, he says, was involuntarily repellent, being one that, among ourselves, would indicate a person steeped in ignorance and sensuality.

PLATE XIX.

{211}V. THE BROWN CAPUCHIN. CEBUS FATUELLUS.

_Simia trepida_, Linn., Syst. Nat., i., p. 39 (1766).

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

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

_Cebus fatuellus_, Geoffr., Ann. Mus., xix., p. 109 (1812).

_Cebus apella_, Geoffr., t. c. p. 109 (1812); Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 48 (1870); Schl., Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 199 (1876).

_Cebus macrocephalus_, Spix, Sim. et Vespert., Bras., p. 3, pl. 1 (1823).

CHARACTERS.--Fur thick, harsh; hair of crown short, reflexed; on the sides of the crown a dark spot, elongated and elevated into two longer or shorter crests, according to the season and the age of the animal. General colour reddish-brown, darker on the hind-limbs, tail, and middle of the back; fore-arms, crown-spot, and whiskers, black; front of shoulders greyish or yellow; Face naked, purplish flesh-colour.

This species is subject to great individual variation. Its general colour is sometimes pale yellowish, with the whiskers yellow.

DISTRIBUTION.--Brazil; Guiana, near the coast; on the mountains of the Upper Magdalena Valley; Tolima, U.S. Colombia, from 5,000 to 7,000 ft.

HABITS.--This species, called "Mico Maizero" by the inhabitants of Tolima, lives as all the _Cebi_ do, in considerable troops in the forests. When wild, it is restless and destructive, but in captivity it is docile and affectionate.

VI. THE VARIEGATED CAPUCHIN. CEBUS VARIEGATUS.

_Cebus variegatus_, Geoffr., Ann. Mus., xix., p. 111 (1812).

{212}CHARACTERS.--Head round; muzzle protruding. Fur black, ringed with golden-yellow; under side of body rufous. Hairs of back brown at base, red higher up, black at the tips.

DISTRIBUTION.--Brazil.

VII. THE TUFTED CAPUCHIN. CEBUS CIRRIFER.

_Le Sajou negre_, Buffon, Hist. Nat. Mamm. Suppl., p. 109, pl. 28.

_Cebus cirrifer_, Geoffr., Ann. Mus., xix., p. 110 (1812); Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 49 (1870).

_Cebus cucullatus_, Spix, Sim. et Vespert., Bras., p. 9, pl. 6 (1823, juv.).

_Macaco prego_, Bates, Nat. Amazon., i., p. 323 (1863).

_Cebus niger_, Schl., Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 202 (1876).

CHARACTERS.--Head round; hairs of crown short and reversed, sometimes elongated into two retrorsal tufts. Fur short, close, and in general colour maroon, turning to black, darker on the under surface; face, chin, sides of forehead and a streak above the eyebrows, yellowish-white.

DISTRIBUTION.--Lower Amazon region.

HABITS.--Little is known of this Monkey beyond what Mr. Bates has told us, viz., that it is a great depredator of the fruit trees. "It is a most impudent thief; it destroys more than it eats by its random, hasty way of plucking and breaking the fruits, and when about to return to the forest, carries away all it can in its hands or under its arms."

VIII. THE CRESTED CAPUCHIN. CEBUS ROBUSTUS.

_Cebus robustus_, Kuhl, Beitr. Zool., p. 35 (1820, ex Neuwied MSS.); Is. Geoffr., Cat. Méth. Primates, p. 43 (1851); Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 51 (1870).

{213}_Cebus frontatus_, Kuhl, Beitr. Zool., p. 34 (1820); Schl., Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 206 (1876, part).

_Cebus variegatus_, Schl., Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 208 (1876, part).

CHARACTERS.--Crown with hairs elongated into a conical central crest. Fur bright red; crown bright red like the back, with a black spot.

DISTRIBUTION.--Brazil.

IX. THE GRIZZLED CAPUCHIN. CEBUS ANNELLATUS.

_Cebus annellatus_, Gray, P. Z. S., 1865, p. 827, fig. 3; id. Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 51.

CHARACTERS.--Hair of crown long and erect, forming a central conical crest. Fur brown, reddish-washed, especially on the thighs, the hairs with several pale rings; a streak on the sides of the neck bent down on the front of the shoulders, yellow; belly reddish; crown, temples, whiskers, outer and inner side of the limbs and tail, black; hair of face deep black; crown-spot broad, with a broad line to the forehead and another, on each side, to the whiskers.

DISTRIBUTION.--Brazil.

X. THE WHITE-FRONTED CAPUCHIN. CEBUS ALBIFRONS.

_Simia albifrons_, Humb., Obs. Zool., p. 323 (1811).

_Cebus chrysopes_ (Le Sajou à pieds dorés), Fr. Cuv., Hist. Nat. Mammif., pl. 51 (part.).

_Cebus albifrons_, Is. Geoffr., Ann. Mus., xix., p. 111 (1812); Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 50 (1870); Schl., Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 195 (1876, part.)

_Cebus leucocephalus_, Gray, t. c. p. 50.

_Cebus versicolor_, Pucher., Rev. Zool., 1845, p. 335 (part).

{214}CHARACTERS.--Head large in proportion to the body. Hair of crown short, reflexed, without crest or "horns." Tail with rather long hair. Face, forehead, throat, shoulders, and crest white. General colour of body light or reddish-brown; back and outer side of the limbs, brownish-red.

DISTRIBUTION.--Generally distributed through the forests of the level country of the Upper Amazon.

HABITS.--The Caiarara, as the Tupi Indians name this species, lives in troops in the forests and feeds on fruits. Mr. Bates, who kept one in captivity for a considerable period during his stay in the Upper Amazon region, describes it as "a most restless creature, but not playful like most of the American Monkeys; the restlessness of its disposition seeming to arise from great nervous irritability and discontent. The anxious, painful, and changeable expression of its countenance, and the want of purpose in its movements, betray this. Its actions are like those of a wayward child; it does not seem happy even when it has plenty of its favourite food, bananas; but will leave its own meal to snatch the morsels out of the hands of its companions. It differs in these mental traits from its nearest kindred, for another common _Cebus_, found in the same parts of the forest, the Prego Monkey (_C. cirrifer_), is a much quieter and better tempered animal.... The Caiarara [called Ouavapavi, by Humboldt] is always making some noise or other, often screwing up its mouth and uttering a succession of loud notes resembling a whistle." It is the most wonderful leaper of the whole tribe. Mr. Bates has also recorded:--"The troops consist of thirty or more individuals which travel in single file. When the foremost of the flock reaches the outermost branch of an unusually lofty tree he springs forth {215}into the air without a moment's hesitation and alights on the dome of yielding foliage belonging to the neighbouring tree, maybe fifty feet beneath; all the rest following the example. They grasp, on falling, with hands and tail, right themselves in a moment, and then away they go along branch and bough to the next tree." Mr. Belt also mentions having kept a White-fronted Capuchin in captivity for a long time. Its actions, he tells us, were very human-like. "He had quite an extensive vocabulary of sounds, varying from a gruff bark to a shrill whistle; and we could tell by them, without seeing him, when it was he was hungry, eating, frightened, or menacing; doubtless one of his own species would have understood various minor shades of intonation and expression that we, not entering into his feelings and wants, passed over as unintelligible."

XI. THE WEEPER CAPUCHIN. CEBUS CAPUCINUS.

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

_Cebus capucinus_, Geoffr., Ann. Mus., xix., p. 111 (1812); Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 49 (1870); Schl., Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 19 (1876).

_Cebus nigrovittatus_, Wagner, Acad. Münch., v., p. 430 (1847, ex Natt. MSS.).

_Cebus olivaceus_, Schomb., Reis. Brit. Guiana, ii., p. 246, et iii., p. 770 (1848).

_Cebus castaneus_, Is. Geoffr., Cat. Méth. Primates, p. 46 (1851).

_Cebus versicolor_, Pucher., Rev. et Mag. Zool., 1857, p. 346 (part).

CHARACTERS.--Hairs of crown short, reflexed, but not elevated into a crest. Fur brown, washed with yellow; crown-spot dark brown, narrow, prolonged down the nose, and expanded {216}backward on to the nape of the neck; sides of face, throat, chest, and front part of shoulders, greyish-yellow.

DISTRIBUTION.--Widely distributed in the great forests from Paraguay to the United States of Colombia.

HABITS.--This Capuchin wanders about among the high forest trees in small companies of from ten to a dozen, the larger number being females. It is very timid, and keeps well out of sight, so that it is difficult to watch its habits. Rengger, in his "Säugethiere von Paraguay," had more than once an excellent opportunity of observing these interesting Monkeys, and has given a capital account of them. He specially mentions the great affection the mother has for her offspring. "The mother's love," he says, "shows itself by the great care with which every old one handles her young, by laying them on the breast, by watching them, by searching their fur, and by the attacks they make on any intruder." In January the female gives birth to a single young one, and keeps it at her breast for the first week; later on she carries it partly on her back, partly under her arm. When sleeping the Weeping Çai curls itself up, covering its face with its arms and tail.

The leader of a troop shares his feelings with the others by various motions, and by giving utterance to certain noises, which are taken up by the others. Their feelings are also exhibited by a kind of laughing and crying. Rengger kept some of these Monkeys for several years in captivity in their own country, and says that, when happy, they uttered a peculiar tittering sound; they express agreeable sensations by drawing back the corners of the mouth without uttering any sound; this he supposed to be laughing, but, as Mr. Darwin remarks, it would be more appropriately called a smile. When {217}crying, their eyes fill with tears, but never flow down the cheeks. When in pain or terror, the form of the mouth, as observed by Mr. Darwin at the Zoological Gardens in London, is quite different from that expressing pleasure or satisfaction; and high shrieks are uttered.

Specimens of this species have been kept in captivity in Europe for six and seven years.

XII. THE THICK-FURRED CAPUCHIN. CEBUS VELLEROSUS.

_Cebus vellerosus_, Is. Geoffr., Cat. Méth. Primates, p. 44 (1851, part.); Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 49 (1870).

_Cebus frontatus_, Schl., Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 206 (1876, part.).

CHARACTERS.--Hairs of crown short; those on the side of the dark and narrow crown-spot, produced on the sides into two horns or crests. Fur thick and long, mingled with still longer glancing hairs; general colour blackish-brown; top of head, nape of neck, and whiskers black. (_Gray._)

DISTRIBUTION.--Brazil.

The following species has been described by Dr. Gray, but very little, if anything, is known of its habits or of the exact locality in which it lives.

XIII. THE PALE CAPUCHIN. CEBUS FLAVESCENS.

_Cebus unicolor_ (nec Spix), Spix, Sim. et Vespert., Bras., p. 7 pl. 4 (1823, part).

_Cebus gracilis_ (nec Spix), Gray, List Mamm. Brit. Mus., p. 12 (1843).

_Cebus flavescens_, Gray, P. Z. S., 1865, p. 827; id. Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 51 (1870).

CHARACTERS.--Fur nearly uniform pale yellowish-fulvous; the {218}cheeks, whiskers, and hair under the throat, greyish; the crown, nape, and middle part of the back rather darker; outside of the leg somewhat redder; hair on top of head and nape rather elongate, directed backward, but not forming a crest.

DISTRIBUTION.--Brazil.

XIV. THE GOLDEN-HANDED CAPUCHIN. CEBUS CHRYSOPUS.

_Cebus chrysopes_, F. Cuvier, Hist. Nat. Mamm., pl. 51 (part.).

_Cebus chrysopus_, Fischer, Syn. Mamm., p. 51 (1829); Is. Geoffr., Cat. Méth. Primates, p. 47 (1851); Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 51 (1870).