Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-07-10
The snidcr Monkey.

The queen of all the pets is black and gray
spider monkey from Guiana, consisting of tail
which has developed, at one end, a body about
twice as large as hare's; four arms (call them
not legS), of which the front ones have no
thumbs nor rudiments of thumbs and a head of
thick hair, brushed forward over the foolish,
kindly, greedy, sad face, with its wide, suspi-
cious, bcsecching eyes, and mouth which, as IN
all these American monkeys, so far as we have
seen, can have no expression, not even that
of Sensuality, because it has no lips.
Others have described the spider monkey as
four legs and a tail, tied in knot in the
middle; but the tail is, without doubt, the
most important of the five limbs. Wherever
the monkey goes, whatever she does, the tail is
the standing point, orrather, hanging point. 1t
takes one turn, at least, around something or
other Professionally, and in case it should be
wanted; often, as she swings, every other limb
hangs in the most ridiculous repose, and the
tail alone supports. Sometimes it carries by
way of ornament, bunch of flowers or live
kitten. Sometimes it is curled round the neck,
or carried over the head in the hands, out of
harms way; or when she comes silently up be-
hind you, puts her cold hand in yours, and
walks by your side like a child, she Steadies
herself by taking half turn Of her tail round
your waist.
The spider monkeys easiest attitude in walk
ing, and in running also, is, strangely, upright,
like human being; but as for her antics,
nothing could represent them 10 you save
series of photographs, and those instantaneous
ones; for they change every moment, not by
starts, but with deliberate case which would
be grace in anything less horribly ugly, into
postures such as COllet or Broughel never fan
cied for the uglieSt imDs who ever tempted st.
Anthony. All absurd efforts Of agility which
you ever saw at q Seance of the Hyobates bar
club at Cambridge are quie. and clumsy COM
pared to the rope dancing which goes on in the
boughs of the Poui-tree, or, to their great
detrment, of the Bougainvillea and the
Gardenian on the lawn. But with all
this, spider is the gentlest, most obedient, and
most domestic of beasts. Her creed is, that
yellow bananas are the summum bonum; and
that she must not come into the dining room,
or even into the veranda, whittier, nevertheless,
she slips, in fear and trembling, every morning,
to steal the little green parrots breakfast out of
his cage, or the babyS milk, fruit off the side
board; in which case she makes her appearance
suddenly and silently, sitting on the threshold
like distorted fcnd, and begins scratching
herself looking at everything except the fruit,
and pretending total absence of mind till the
proper moment comes for unwinding her
lengthy ugliness, and making a snatch at the
table.
Poor, weak-headed thing, full of foolish cum
ming; always doing wrong, and knowing thatt
is wrong, but quite unable to resist temptation;
and then profuse in futile explanations, geSticu-
lations, mouthings of an "ohl OIL OIL" so pita-
bic human that you can only punish her by
Laughing at ner, winch she does not at all like.
One cannot resist the fancy while watching her,
either that she was once human being, OF that
she is trying to become one. But at present she
has more than one habit to learn and recollect,
ere she becomes as fit for human society as the
dog or cat. Her friends are every hu-
man being who will take notice of her,
and beautiful little Guazupita, or ma
tive deer, a little larger than roe, with
great, black, melting eyes, and heart as soft
as its eyes, that comes to lick ones hand; be-
leves in bananas as firmly as the monkey, and
when she can get no hand to lick ticks the
hairy monkey for loves sake, and lets it ride
on her back, and kicks it off and lets it 20 on
again, and take half turn of its tail around
her neck and throttles her with its arms and
pull her nose ont Of the way when banana is
coming, and all out of pure love, for the two
have never been introduced to each other by
man, and the intimacy between them, like that
famous one between the horse and hen, is of
natures own making up.-KingSleyS Vest
Indies.