easily distinguished from the monkey kind. In the use of their tail these animals are singularly dexterous. They can pick up with it even straws and bits of wood; and M. Audebert tells us, that he saw one of the species carry hay in its tail to make its bed, and move and spread it about as easily as an elephant could have done with his trunk.

In climbing, too, this member is of great use. There are, (says Dam. pier,) in the Isthmus of America, numbers of monkeys, some of which are white, but the most part black-some have beards, others none. These monkeys are very droll, and performed a thousand grotesque postures as we traversed in the woods. When they are unable to leap from one tree to another, on account of the distance, or the tree being separated by a river, their dexterity is very surprising. The whole family form a kind of chain, locking tail in tail, or hand in hand, and one of them holding the branch above, the rest swing down, balancing to and fro like a pendulum, until the undermost is enabled to catch hold of the lower branches of some neighboring tree. When the hold is fixed below, the monkey lets go that which was above, and thus comes undermost in turn; but creeping up along the chain, attains the next branches of the tree like the rest; and thus, they all take possession without ever coming to the ground.

They have the address to break the shell of oysters to eat them. They generally produce only one or two young ones at a time, which they carry upon their backs; they feed upon fish, worms, and insects, but fruit is their general food, and they grow fat when it is ripe, when, it is said, their flesh is good and exquisite eating.

The coaita is about a foot and a half long, and its tail is longer than the head and body measured together: it goes on all fours.

THE WARINE, AND THE ALOUATO, OR
HOWLING MONKEY,1

ARE the largest of these animals, belonging to the new continent: they surpass the size of the largest monkey, and approach the size of the baboon. They have a long tail, and are moreover of the sapajou family, in which they hold a very distinct rank, not only with regard to size, but also to voice, which sounds like a drum, or as others say, like the screaming of immense herds of swine, and may be heard at a very great distance. From the exces sive noise which they make, they have obtained the name of the howling monkey. Marcgrave informs us, "that every morning and evening the warines

1 Mycetes seniculus. The genus Mycetes has four upper and four lower incisors; two upper and two lower canines; twelve upper and twelve lower molars. Canines well developed, triquetrous; head pyramidal; countenance oblique; facial angle, thirty degrees; hyoid bone ventricose, apparent externally, and cavernous. Four extremities pentadactyle; tail very long; strongly prehensile, naked under its extremity; nails convex and short.

and the alouatos assemble in the woods; that one among them seats himself on an elevated place, makes a sign with his hand to the rest to seat themselves round him; as soon as he sees them all seated, he begins an oration with so quick and loud a voice, that, at a distance, it might be imagined they were all making a noise together. During the whole discourse, the rest keep a profound silence, and when it is ended, he makes a signal to the rest to answer him, and immediately they all set up a cry together, till by another sign with his hand he orders them to be silent; when they are immediately obedient and quiet. Then the first renews his discourse, or his song, which when finished, and the others have paid the utmost attention to it, the whole assembly breaks up and separates." This singular noise is made by the instrumentality of a long bony process in the throat. According to the same author, "the face of the warine is broad, the eyes black and sparkling, the ears short and round, the tail naked at the extremity, with which it holds firmly whatever it encircles; the hair of the body is black, long, and glossy; it is much longer under the chin, which forms a kind of round beard: the hair on the hands, feet, and a part of the tail, is brown. The male is of the same color as the female, and only differs from it in being a little larger. The females carry their young on their backs, and thus loaded leap from branch to branch, and from tree to tree. The young one clasps the narrowest part of the body of the mother with its hands and arms, and thus holds itself firmly fastened, whatever motion its parent makes. In other respects, these animals are wild and mischievous: they can neither be tamed nor subdued, and bite dreadfully. As they live only on fruit, grain, and some insects, their flesh is not bad eating. It is like that of the hare, but a little sweetish, for which reason a good quantity of salt is put to that which is roasted: the fat is the color of its hair. They are both lively, active, and very pleasing by their tricks and nimbleness. They are, however, fantastical in their tastes and affections: they seem to have a strong inclination for some people, and as great an aversion for others. They are natives of French Guiana. They usually live in troops of from twenty to forty individuals. They often whistle, and when they are enraged they shake their heads violently, and utter, in a ferocious tone, the syllables, Pi, ca, rou."

THE SAI, OR WEEPER.1

TRAVELLERS have described these animals by the name of howlers, from, their plaintive moan. Others have called them musk monkeys, from their

Cebus apella. The genus Cebus has four upper and four lower incisors; two upper and two lower canines; six upper and six lower molars. Superior incisors larger than the inferior; canines more or less strong, those of the males being much more so than the females; head round, muzzle short, forehead a little prominent; occiput projecting behind; facial angle, about sixty degrees; ears rounded; hyoid bone, not projecting; tail prehensile, but entirely covered with hair.

having, like the macaque, that peculiar smell. They belong to the sapajou family, as they have a holding tail; they have only two teats, and bring forth but one or two at a time. They are gentle, docile, and so timorous, that their common cry, which resembles that of the cat, is dwindled down to a kind of sighing, when they are threatened. Their food, in this climate, is principally snails and beetles, which they prefer before any other; but in their native country of Brazil, they chiefly live upon grain, and the wild fruit they pluck from trees, whence they very seldom descend till they have stripped their habitation of its treasure.

THE name of this animal is taken from the sound of its voice. It is not above six inches long, and its tail more than double that length, which is annulated black and white, like the macauco. Its face is naked, and of a flesh color. It has two very singular tufts of long white hair on the fore part of the ears, which, although very large, cannot be seen by looking at the full face of this animal. Mr Edwards says, that, when it is in good health, it has much hair and tufted; that one of those which he saw, and which was healthy, fed on several things, as biscuits, fruit, pulse, insects, snails; and, being one day unchained, he struck at a little gold fish which was in a glass globe, killed it, and devoured it with the greatest avidity; that afterwards, some small eels being put before him, he was frightened when they twisted about his neck, but that he soon conquered and ate them. It is a great enemy to cats. These animals, when young, have an ugly appearance, having scarcely any hair on their bodies. They cling closely to the teats of their dam; and as they grow older, they fix themselves on

1 Jacchus vulgaris. This genus has four upper and four lower incisors; two upper and two lower canines; six upper and six lower molars. Incisors and canines variable in their dimensions. Molars with a crown, furnished with sharp tubercles; head round, muzzle short; occiput prominent; tail longer than the body, soft, and entirely covered with hair; feet pentadactyle; thumb of the anterior hands not opposable; nails very long, compressed, arched, and pointed.

her back or shoulders; when she is weary of carrying them, she releases herself by rubbing against the wall.

The striated monkey is of a hardy nature, and has sometimes produced young ones in Europe, even as far to the north as Paris. Most of the individuals have a somewhat musky smell. The voice is a kind of shrill, hissing whistle.

FAMILY II.-LEMURS.

THESE animals are characterised by a general form, approaching to the quadruped, properly so called: incisors varying in both jaws, in number, form, and situation. Nostrils at the extremity of the muzzle; posterior extremities longer than the anterior; first finger of the hind feet after the thumb, terminated by a sharp, turned-up nail; two or four pectoral mamma; tail, when it exists, not prehensile.

THE MACAUCO.1

THE manuco, (which is the ring-tailed lemur of Shaw,) is a beautiful animal, remarkable for the largeness of its eyes, and the length of the hinder legs, which by far exceed those before; by its beautiful and long tail, which is continually elevated and in motion, and upon which are upwards of thirty rings, alternately black and white, all very distinct and separate one from the other. It is gentle; and, although it greatly resembles the monkey in many particulars, it is not so malicious in its nature. It is a gregarious animal, commonly found in company in its natural state; in Madagascar, thirty or forty are seen herding together. It sleeps in a sitting posture, with its snout resting upon its breast; its body is no thicker than that of a cat, but is longer; and it appears larger, as the legs of the animal are very long. The hair is soft, and stands upright.

'Lemur catta. The genus Lemur is characterized by four upper and six under incisors. One canine on each side, in both jaws; molars five above and four below, on each side. Superior incisors, united in pairs, inferior, inclined, long. Superior canines, long, compressed, crossing the inferior ones before; inferior canines, or first molars, compressed, triangular; molars with blunt, tuberculous crowns; two pectoral mamma; head, long and triangular; muzzle slender; ears short and rounded; fourth toe of the feet largest; tail longer than the body, covered with hair, not prehensile; hair soft and woolly.

THE mongoos is less than the macauco; but its hair is, like that, of a short and silken nature, but a little curled; the nose is also thicker. Buffon had a mongoos in his possession for several years; its coat was of a brown color, the eyes yellow, the nose black, and the ears short. It had a custom of playing with and biting its tail, and had, by this method, lessened it by four or five of the last vertebræ. Whenever it got loose, it visited the shops in the neighborhood, and would make free with fruit, sugar, sweetmeats, &c.; to obtain which it would open the boxes. At such times, it was dimcult to retake it; and it would bite those that attempted it, even its keeper.

THIS is not only one of the most beautiful of the group to which it

1 Lemur mongooz.

2 Lemur ruber.