COMMON MARMOSETS.
CHAPTER XII.
THE MARMOSETS AND TAMARINS.[107]
The Dentition of the Genus Hapale, or the Marmosets, or Ouistitis—The Face—The Paw-like Hands and Feet—Their Claws—The Skull and Brain, and the Nature of the Diet—[THE COMMON MARMOSET]—Its Habits—[THE CLOAKED MARMOSET]—[THE GENUS MIDAS]—[THE TAMARINS]—Their Dentition—[THE NEGRO TAMARIN]—Its Habits—[MIDAS ARGENTATUM]—[DEVILLE’S MIDAS]—[THE SILKY TAMARIN]—Notes on the Arctopithecini in General
THE second division of the Monkeys of the New World is characterised by there bring thirty-two teeth, and the tail is not prehensile. It is generally termed that of the Marmosets, or in scientific language, the Arctopithecini, a word which means Bear-Monkey. There are two genera in this division: the first is that of the Marmosets proper, or genus Hapale; and the second is that of the Tamarins, or genus Midas.
THE MARMOSETS, OR OUISTITIS.[108]
In this genus the thirty-two teeth are so arranged that instead of there being three back teeth, or true molars, on the side of each jaw, they have only two. But there are false molars placed in front of these two crushing molars, and this has a direct relation to the insectivorous diet of the animal. The outer edge of these false molars has one sharp point, admirably adapted to pierce a hard-coated Beetle, or to smash up a grub. The incisor, or front teeth, differ in the two genera. They are long (especially the lower ones), narrow, and are curved outwards, and they stick out forwards from the jaw in the genus Hapale. Those of the Tamarins are short and broad, the lower ones being stuck out and close together. The lower canine teeth of the Hapale, or Ouistitis, are very small, and those of the other genus are larger.
The face of the Marmoset is short, and the broad division between the nostrils, which open widely apart and outwards, is very evident. Very remarkable are the feet, for in these Monkeys the toe-thumb is not widely separated from the other digits, but is close to and parallel with them, so that they resemble the human foot more than the human hand. The insectivorous and carnivorous propensities of these little creatures are shown in the form of their nails, which are claws. They are curved, compressed from side to side, and sharp, except that of the great toe, which is broad. In the hand the thumb is not capable of being separated widely from the other fingers, and it has a sharp claw on it, so the resemblance to a true hand is small, and the likeness to a “paw” is great; and to conclude this part of the subject, the soles are much longer than the toes. Hence, with paws and long feet with claws, these little creatures, which have been termed Hapale—from ἁπαλός (soft, gentle)—are not unlike Bears in their extremities, and have been called Bear-Monkeys, or Arctopithecini. The intelligence of these Monkeys is certainly not very great, hence the examination of their brain is sure to be interesting, for one would expect that it could not be like that of the intelligent Cebus, or even that of the Spider Monkey. The mouth appears to be large, and it really has a wide gape.
