Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1888-06-08

Prot Albert :. Bickmore's SATURDAY. morn
ing lecture Al the American Museum OF Ma
tural History was on Monkeys Of the New
World" SAYS The Nsp York Times. The
word monkey, he said, had been derived from
manakin or monakn, aud meant unfortunate
little fellow" In America monkeys are 10
be found on the south OF line between the
City Of Mexico and Vera Cruz, but none
above that line. The American monkeys
have broad nose and their nOstrs turn out
ward and downward. a peculiar species was
the ,ete, only five inches high, which has two
more teeth than any monkey In Africa
Another was the bearded monkey, so named
because Of beard which surrounded his face
in a fashion made notable by a celebrated
journalist some wears deceased. THIS ami
NAL (the monkey was very careful Of his
beard and never wet 1t when drinking. He
would hollow his hand into the form OF cup,
dip 1t into and ill It with water, and then
drink from his hand slowly while with one Of
his other hands he would carefully press his
beard out Of the way OF contact with sny
drops OF water that might fall The picture
shown did not elresent ss handsome mon
key as one might suppose 50 fastldiOus
monkey to be.
Another odd species was the whlte-throai-
cd monkey, and still another, 'Humboldtsn
monkey, discovered bv that great explorer
and sometimes called the negro monkey
because Of the curly wool upon Us head
@ her monkeys had tails sensitive that
when their owners were passing rapidly
through the forests, dragging their tais be
hind them they could tell instantly when
their caudsl appeudages came into contact
with anything good 10 eat. These same tails
were very poWe riu!, aud their owners could
hook tlein over a limb and hanging by that
support 20 fast asleep II monkey were
shot when In this position lie on a not fall;
lie would simply continue to cling there IN
I'll decomposition set ~. The natives shoot
monkeys with poisoned arrows, which they
blow out Of long hollow reeds. When the
wounded monkey becomes Unconscious from
the effects OF the poison the hunter runs up
and puts some salt ir.o his mouth, after secur-
Ing him, aud he salt being an antidoie for
the poison, the hunter gets a live monkey rs
good new. Natives Of the Amazon eat
monkeys. in fact, they are the chief food
supply OF a large section Of the people. The
meat is said 10 he II &c AMI tender and very
nutritious The ,cturcr related an aneciOte
OF an explorer who was given dish Of monkey
meat and foun l II excellent He would have
enjoyed the neal, he SAID, had he not been
SO nervous over the thought that he might b.
devourug one of bis RESPECTED ancestors
The lecturer described in detail the species
OF the South American MONKEY known as the
"howlers.' These monkeys travel in groups
aud they are very JEALOUS of each others
abilities RS ho~lers. Each group has eli am-
ion bowler and when two groups meet one
bowler from each sits opposite the other, sur
rounded by The rest, and then each tries 10
OuthOwl the other the res lrctIve groups join
lng in the chorus. This dIu can be heard az
"A distance OF from two 10 three miles, ami the
terror Of a huntsman who goes 10 sleep in the
forest and IS suddenly awakened by group
of how lers in the trees above him can be bet
ter imagined 'han described Monke like
bananas better thar ANYTHING else. although
they arc iund Of green corn and the bread
fruit, which grow abundantly in the luxuri-
cnt forests of South America