THE SPIDER MONKEYS.
These curious little Monkeys are found in nearly all parts of South America, and they live in troops, making their homes in trees. They feed on the insects which are usually found in great quantities in many of the South American trees, and occasionally they will descend to the ground, in search of small Fish and Molluscs which they find in the mud on the banks of the rivers. It is said that they even venture on the beds of the rivers when the water is low, and capture the oysters, and they are very quick in learning how to open the shells and take out the oyster.
These Monkeys are distinguished by their fine silky hair, their strong tails, which they use in climbing and in swinging themselves from limb to limb, and the fact that they have no thumbs; but only the four fingers on each hand. This peculiarity has given them the Greek name by which the family is usually classified which means imperfect, but the name Spider Monkey has been given to them because of their long, slender limbs and their slow, queer manner of walking, which sometimes gives them the appearance of huge spiders.