The Western World: Picturesque Sketches of Nature and Natural History in North; and South AmericaKingston, William Henry Giles
History
The Western World: Picturesque Sketches of Nature and Natural History in North; and South America
Kingston, William Henry Giles
Natural history -- North America; Natural history -- South America
Seated among the boughs may often be seen, in the forests of the Upper
Amazon, a number of large, stout-bodied, fat-paunched monkeys, with long
flexible tails, furnished underneath with a naked palm, like the hand,
for grasping. Their faces are black and wrinkled, their foreheads low,
and eyebrows projecting; their features bearing a wonderful resemblance
to those of weather-beaten old negroes. The heads of some are covered
with black hair, and others with grey. They are called by the
Portuguese _macacos barrigudos_, or big-bellied monkeys. They belong to
the species of Lagothrix, and are closely allied to the coaitas. They
are bulky fellows, and though able, by means of their prehensile tails,
to get along at a good rate among the boughs, seldom trouble themselves
to move rapidly.
With the exception of the black howler, which will be described anon,
they are the largest monkeys in America--their bodies measuring about
twenty-eight inches in height. Their flesh being highly esteemed by the
natives, they are unceasingly hunted by the Indians. Though their
manners are somewhat grave, yet, from their mild and confiding temper
similar to that of the coaitas--they are much sought after for pets.
They live exclusively on fruits.
THE UAKARI.
On the western side of the River Yapura, near where it pours its waters
into the Amazon--a forest region inundated during the greater part of
the year--there lives in small troops, high up among the crowns of the
lofty trees,--where it feeds on fruits of various descriptions,--a
small, almost tailless monkey, its face glowing with the most vivid
scarlet hue. Its body, about eighteen inches in height, exclusive of
limbs, is clothed from head to tail with very long, straight, shining,
whitish hair. Its head, nearly bald, is sprinkled over with a short
crop of thin grey hair; whilst round its ruddy countenance, bushy
whiskers, of a sandy colour, meet under the chin. It has reddish-yellow
eyes. It belongs to the Cebidae family. The Indians call it the white
uakari. It inhabits, as far as is known, no other district.
In spite of its want of tail, it is an active little creature, running
up and down the larger branches, but seldom leaping from one to the
other. The mothers, as is the custom with the other monkey orders,
carry their young on their back. They are highly valued as pets; but
being of a delicate constitution, seldom live long when transported from
their native district.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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