BONNET MONKEYS.
The Bonnet Monkey is frequently caught for exhibition. It is about the size of a large cat, greenish grey above and white below, with a long tail. The face is naked and wrinkled; the hair of the crown is long and dark, and spreads in all directions, lying upon the surface of the head like hair in a scalp-wig. On this account the animal is sometimes called the Scalp Monkey.
In its native country the Bonnet Monkey is almost as much venerated as the Hoonuman in Bengal, and although it does great injury to fields and gardens, the natives forbid any one to kill it. Or if this has been done through mistake, they demand from the culprit enough money to pay for a grand funeral.
When young, the Bonnet Monkey is very amusing as a pet, performing all his tricks with a comical gravity. When two or three are kept together, they are constantly hugging and nursing each other. When a Monkey of this kind has no companions of its own species, it will make friends with some other animal, and will often pet and hug a kitten with great gravity and all the fondness of a child, at a great risk of choking it. When full-grown, however, the behavior of the Bonnet Monkey changes, and it becomes sullen and savage and spiteful.
THE AMERICAN MONKEYS.
There are several queer families of American Monkeys that make their home in Brazil, Peru and on the banks of the Amazon and the Orinoco. Further South, and along the western part of South America are found many of the small Monkeys with long tails like those we usually see in this country patiently following the street organs and making trade for their Italian masters. The most of these are intelligent, affectionate little fellows, and are more in demand for taming than the Monkeys of Africa, or even those of the smaller families found in Asia and Europe.
Nearly all of the American Monkeys have long tails, and some find them a great help in climbing; these are usually classed as the Prehensile tailed Monkeys, and the Non-prehensile tailed Monkeys are those who do not make any use of their long tails in grasping the limbs of the trees, etc., in climbing. Very few of the American Monkeys have cheek-pouches and their nostrils are placed on the sides of the nose, instead of beneath it, giving them a very different appearance from the Apes, Baboons, etc., found in Africa. The different kinds of American Monkeys are usually divided into several families with the usual long hard Latin names to distinguish them, but as these names mean simply, the Howlers, the Spider Monkeys, the Weepers, etc., we will use only their English names in describing them.
THE HOWLING MONKEYS.
The Monkeys belonging to the family of Howlers are remarkable on account of the formation of their throat, which causes their voice to be hoarse and loud and very disagreeable. Although they are scarcely two feet in height, these Monkeys have the most powerful voice of any known animal. When gathered in troops they make the great forests re-echo with their tumult, which carries terror even to the bravest man when heard for the first time. Travelers compare this noise to the creaking of a great multitude of carts whose wheels and axle-trees need greasing; and with all this creaking and grinding noise there is a sound like the rolling of a drum.