Part 37

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).

CHARACTERS.--Head round; face short; ears short, nearly naked; nose flat. Fur soft and woolly, intermixed with many long, stiff, dark reddish-brown hairs,--the hairs red at the base, and black at the tips; forehead black; crown of head dark brown; a narrow band round the face, white; a narrow collar round the neck, reddish-white; hands white; hair of feet red at the base, but black at the tips. Length of the body, about 12 inches.

DISTRIBUTION.--Confined to the upper reaches of the Rio Negro, Brazil.

HABITS.--This species, often known under the name of the Widow Monkey, is said to be very gentle in disposition. {160}When approaching to capture insects or small birds, which form its prey, it becomes keen and excited, but at other times it appears to be dull and listless. They roam about in flocks of about half a dozen individuals, on the large branches of the great forest trees. They are noisy animals, and in the early morning they make the forest resound with their yelping cries.

II. THE RED TITI. CALLITHRIX CUPREA.

Callithrix cuprea, Spix, Sim. et Vesper. Bras., p. 23, pl. 17, (1823); Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 54 (1870); Schleg., Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 236 (1876); Thomas, P. Z. S., 1880, p. 394.

Callithrix discolor, Is. Geoffr., C.R., xxvii., p. 498 (1848); id. Cat. Méth. Primates, p. 41 (1851); id. Arch. Mus., v., p. 551, pl. 28; Wagner in Schreb., Säugeth. Suppl., v., p. 114 (1855).

(Plate XIV.)