e the _Ateles_, or Spider monkeys. These
derive their generic name from their singular spider-like appearance--
caused by their disproportionately long and slender limbs, and the great
length of their tails. None equal them in the prehensile power of the
caudal appendage; and it is of them that that curious story is related--
the story of the Monkeys' Bridge--where it is told how they pass over a
stream: a number of the strongest joining their bodies together by means
of their long tails, and thus forming a bridge, by which the whole troop
are enabled to cross.

Of the spider monkeys there are about a dozen species; but three of
these have been taken to form one of the three genera into which, as
already stated, the Sapajous are divided. These three differ very
little from the other spider monkeys, except in being covered with a
soft, woolly hair; and, furthermore, in being much more rare than the
others; at all events, they are more rarely seen, as they dwell only in
the thickest forests, far remote from the habitations of man.

The third and last genus of the Sapajous is that termed _Lagothrix_.
They are small monkeys, covered also with soft woolly hair; and their
habitat is along the banks of rivers. They have a strange habit, not
observable among their congeners, of collecting in small troops, and
rolling or "clewing" themselves up together. This they do in cold
weather, or on the approach of a storm. They summon each other by means
of signals and cries; and selecting the convenient bifurcation of some
tree, they there form the singular group. The jaguar and other beasts
of prey take advantage of this habit, and often make victims of the
whole _tableau vivant_! There are three species already described, all
denizens of the Brazilian forests.

The Sajous form the second group of the American monkeys. These have
also prehensile tails; but the power is not so highly-developed in them
as in the Sapajous, nor are their tails naked. Moreover, the bodies of
the Sajous are more robust, and their limbs of stouter make.

The Sajous are well-tempered creatures, and easily domesticated. Some
of the species are favourite pets--on account of their pleasing manners,
and the docility of their nature. The old males, however, scarcely
deserve this reputation, as they will bite freely enough when provoked.

They are not subdivided; but permitted to constitute a single genus, of
which there are nearly twenty species--al