Natural History: Mammalia/Cebidæ
Family II. Cebidæ.
(Monkeys of the New World.)
The Cebidæ are distinguished by the following characters:—Teeth; inc. 44; can. 1—11—1; mol. 6—66—6: = 36. Nostrils separated by a broad division. Tail long; in many cases prehensile, in others thick and bushy. No cheek-pouches, nor callosities. The distinctive character of the Quadrumana, the opposible power of the thumbs on all the extremities, is but slightly applicable to the American Monkeys. Mr. Ogilby, who has paid much attention to these animals, denies that in any genus of Cebidæ the thumbs of the fore hands are truly opposed to the fingers. These views are developed in a paper, published in a condensed form in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society for 1836, a part of which we subjoin.
"Of the eight natural genera, which include all the known Monkeys of the Western Hemisphere, one, Ateles, is entirely destitute of a thumb, or has that member existing only in a rudimentary form beneath the skin. In five others, Mycetes, Lagothrix, Aotus, Pithecia, and Hapale, the anterior thumbs (using the ordinary expression for them) are placed absolutely on the same line with the other fingers, are of the same form with them, act invariably in the same direction, and are totally incapable of being opposed to them. In the two remaining genera, Cebus and Callithrix, the extremities of the anterior limbs have a greater resemblance to the hands of Man, and of the Monkeys of the Old World:—the internal finger is placed farther back than the general line of the other fingers, and has, on that account, when superficially noticed, the semblance of being opposed to them: but, as has been correctly observed by D’Azara, with reference to Call. capucinus, it is less separated than in Man; it is, besides, of precisely the same slender form with the rest, is weaker than they, absolutely without power of opposition to them, and habitually acts in the same direction with them. The impression derived from contemplating the hands of the Old World Monkeys, might induce the belief that the extremities of the Cebi are similarly constituted; but if the knowledge that in Mycetes, Pithecia, &c., there are no opposible thumbs, leads to a close observation of the anterior extremities of the Cebs, it will be found that they do not act as hands, and cannot be considered as possessing the powers of those organs.”
The Cebidæ are confined to the hotter parts of the Southern American continent, and inhabit the dense forests.
Genus Myceres. (Illiger.)
In this genus, which comprehends the largest and fiercest of the American Monkeys, the hyoid bone[1] is very large, swelling into a capacious drum, which communicates with the larynx, and imparts a tremendous power and volume to the voice, which they exercise in frightful nocturnal howlings. The head is of a pyramidal form; the tail, long, slender, powerfully prehensile, covered at the tip with a naked, delicate skin: the canines are very large and strong: the facial angle is low, about 30°; which assimilates them to the Baboons of the Old World. They have generally large beards.
ARAGUATO.
Of the seven or eight species known, we select the Araguato (Mycetes ursinus, Geoff.) for illus tration. It is nearly three feet in length, ex- clusive of the tail; the long rough hair is of a golden red hue, paler at the circumference of the face. It is spread over the forests of Brazil and Venezuela.
Humboldt has described the terrific effect produced by the Howling Monkeys of Cumana. The forests resound with the frightful yells of a whole troop, the sound of which can be heard at a ‘distance of two miles. They have been charged with a habit of assailing an intruder with sticks and fruits, but this is denied by Mr. Waterton. Their flesh is good food; the flavour being like that of kid.
Genus Ateles. (Groff.)
With the prehensile tail of the preceding genus, the Spider-monkeys, as the species of Ateles are termed, have a small, round head, with a more elevated forehead; a corpulent body, and very long and slender limbs. The fore hands have, generally, no thumbs, but, in two species, there is a rudimentary one beneath the skin.
Exclusively arboreal, the Spider-monkeys are slow and vacillating on the ground, dragging them- selves along by using the fore-arms as crutches, the fist being half closed; or walking in a crouching posture, on the hind feet only, balanced by the long arms and tail extended in front and rear, and ready to seize any object which may _ help progression. But among the branches of the trees their agility is almost equal to that of a bird: the sensible tip of the long tail seizes a branch with the facility and security of a fifth hand, while its grasp is sufficiently powerful to support the weight of the body, as it swings from bough to bough. Dampier indeed asserts that when a troop wishes to cross a river, they select a very high tree that overhangs the brink, and mounting to the top, they form a long chain by each holding his predecessor’s tail; the last securing a good hold of the tree, while he swings the living string of Monkeys slowly to and fro until it acquires a sufficient impetus to reach the trees on the opposite bank; when the foremost seizing a branch, the hindmost relinquishes his hold, and the whole are drawn up in succesion. This plan has at least the merit of ingenuity.
This tail would seem to have almost the versatile powers of the Elephant’s trunk: it has been affirmed that the animal will sometimes use it to fish for crabs; and Humboldt asserts that it is so sensible as to pick any little object out of a crevice, the monkey not thinking it needful to turn his eye to the spot.
Like the Howlers, the Spider-monkeys live in troops, and support each other in case of need; exercising a jealous tyranny over the part of the forest in which they may be residing. They live on fruits, insects, and the eggs and young of birds. Their character is intelligent, docile, and affectionate; somewhat grave and melancholy; free from the petulance and fickleness of common monkeys.
The Quata, (Ateles paniscus, Linn.) is covered with long and coarse hair, but soft and silky in texture, of a deep black; the face is copper-coloured. The thumb of the fore-hands is altogether wanting; but on the posterior extremities, it, as well as the fingers, is long. Large companies inhabit the woods of Guiana; on the intrusion of man, curiosity impels them to come down to the lower branches to examine him, when they try to frighten him away. They are easily domesticated, and manifest much intelligence. D'Acosta, in his History of the West Indies, says of one belonging to the governor of Carthagena; "They sent the Quata to the tavern for wine, putting the pot in one hand, and the money in the other: they could not possibly get the money out of his hand before his pot was full of wine. If any children met him in the street, he would set his pot down and cast stones among the children till he had assured his way; then would he return to carry home his pot. And what is more, though he was a good bibber of wine, yet would he never touch it, till leave was given him."
- ↑ The bone at the root of the tongue.