Birds and Nature, Vol. 10 No. 4 [November 1901]Various
History
Birds and Nature, Vol. 10 No. 4 [November 1901]
Various
Birds -- Periodicals; Natural history -- Periodicals
As soon as the gentleman recovered from his surprise he fired upon the
troop and succeeded in slightly wounding one which so maimed it that,
uttering a loud yell, it fell to the ground and he was able to secure
it. The others, frightened, quickly vanished, for their movements were
of surprising agility; they threw their long limbs about in the queerest
sort of a manner, using their tails in climbing more than their limbs,
seeming to feel their way with the tip of the tail and finding a place
for support, they swung themselves rapidly to the extreme tree tops and
were out of sight in less time than it takes to describe their flight.
When the troop could no longer be seen the gentleman examined his
wounded captive and from what he knew of the characteristics of the ape
family, to which all monkeys belong, he decided that without question he
had secured a specimen of the Spider Monkey.
It was a young mother and the baby monkey was clinging to her with its
little arms around her neck and legs around her hips in a way not to
impede her motions.
She was carefully examined by her captor and he soon decided that the
wound was not dangerous and that with care he might be able to take her
with her baby back with him to the United States.
So she now received the best of care. She was secured with a rope
attached to a bit of silken handkerchief which was carefully fitted to
her leg and soon recovering (for her captor was a skillful surgeon) she
became the pet of the company.
In length she was about four feet four inches and she was covered with a
dull yellowish woolly fur. Her face was quite brown, which proved that
she was still young, for the face grows dark gray in old age. In
examining the forepaw, in order to find a thumb, nothing was there
except a short stub devoid of a nail; her nose was broad and flat and
she had thirty-six teeth.
Surely she was a Miriki Spider Monkey and a fine specimen at that, but
as this variety is usually found only farther south in Brazil, her
captor was especially pleased to secure her.
It would take a long time to narrate all the interesting things which
one could say about her, but I must tell you what a devoted and lovely
mother she was to her helpless little baby. It was as funny a little
thing as you can imagine, ugly as possible, with proportionately long
arms and legs and a face so old looking and wrinkled that it reminded
one of an antiquated grandfather rather than of an infant monkey. She
would continually pet this little monster, lick its body, hug it and
fondle it; she would hold it in both hands as if admiring it and then
would rock it to sleep in her arms. The children of royalty could not
have more tender care and attention than the little Brazilian monkey
gave her offspring.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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