Guide to the galleries of mammalia (mammalian, osteological, cetacean) in the Department of Zoology of the British Museum (Natural History).

British Museum (Natural History). Department of Zoology.

Date:: 1887

Credit: Guide to the galleries of mammalia (mammalian, osteological, cetacean) in the Department of Zoology of the British Museum (Natural History). Source: Wellcome Collection.

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$[Case 9.] tremely long and slender limbs—of which, alone among the Plahjr- rhini, the anterior are longer than the posterior—their rudimentary thumbs, and long prehensile tails. (2) The Howling Monkeys (^Mycetes, Case 7), the males of which possess a most extra- ordinary voice, the resonance of which is increased by a peculiar chamber formed by the middle portion of the bone of the tongue (see p. 70) : they are stout, thick-set animals, with well-developed thumbs, prehensile tails, and generally of a uniform red, brown, or blackish colour; the males are furnished with short thick beards. (3) The Negro-Monkeys {Lagothrix, Case 8). (4) The Yarkees and Uakaris [Pithecia and Ouakaria), two closely allied genera, the first with peculiarly long thick hair all over its body and tail, which latter, though long, is not prehensile ; the second distinguished from all the other American Monkeys by having scarcely any tail; one species (0. calvus), exhibited in this Case, is quite bald; and all are very thinly haired, in marked contrast to the Yarkees. (5) The Squirrel-Monkeys [Nyctipithecus, Callithrix, and Chrysothrix, Case 9) are all beautiful little creatures, with soft bright-coloured fur, long, hairy, non-prehensile tails, and well-developed thumbs; they live partly on insects. (6) The Sapajous, or Capuchin Monkeys [Cebus, Case 9), are a genus of numerous dull-coloured species, with thick prehensile tails and well-developed thumbs. Being comparatively hardy and easily tamed, trained specimens are frequently exhibited in this country. The second family of the Platyrrhini are the Hapalidce or Mar- mosets, differing from the others by their non-opposable pollex *, which is provided with a claw instead of a nail, their rudimentary hallux t, long, hairy, and never prehensile tail, and the different number of their teeth. They are small animals, some not exceed- ing a rat in size, and of bright and varied appearance, many being ornamented with long tufts of hair on their ears, and all being more or less brightly coloured. They are almost entirely con- fined to the forests of tropical South America, a single species only extending as far north as Panama. The second Suborder of the Primates—the Lemuroidea— * The first or innermost digit of the fore limb, corresponding to the human “ thumb,” a name inapplicable when it is not opposable to the other digits. t The first digit of the hind limb, corresponding to our “ great toe.”$