The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-05-14


s' "eorHe ''''"r' on monkeys
Under the collective title Of TYPES OF AMI
mul Life.' Messrs. Little. Brown g. Co. have
published in book form twelve interest
ing essays contributed by Mr.. st. George
Mivart to tho columns OF THE New YORK
Sun. Many OF those papers deal with animal
forms associated exclusively or principally
with tho New World. such as the opossum. the
turkey, the rattlesnake, the Carolina bat, the
American bison. and the raccoon. 1t must not
be inferred. however. by readers familiar with
the authors position with reference to the
DarwInian controversy that the subjects treat
cd in this volume are made texts for the ex-
position OF the view Of the origin OF man taken
theless. as we cannot forget what his view is.
orhow sienally 1t differs from Darwin's. we turn
keys. and It is this to which we shall con1ne
ourselves at this m Yet we should repeat
that tls the autnoI purpose not 70 anaiyHe
the phenomena otthe nina OF apes OUT simply
to chroniclothe most interesting lacts connect
cd with tneir natural history. NH. Mi'art con-
ception oithe oiHerenoe between tne simianln
teilect ana that Oh man Is SCI iorth eise"here
In MS recent WORK. Inc orlein OF human
reason. rev people VINO are not themselves
professional naturaiists are conVersant with
a romarkabie feature OF the natural history OF
apes. namely that aithough tnere are MONKEYS
In tropical America no less than IN Africa and
Asia. yet the species encountered In the New
World are strangely diilerentirom those which
inhabit the Old. No single kind or species OF
ape which exists in America is found anywhere
else. The Old World. for its part, has given
rise to the chimpanzee. gorilla. and orang. the
apes. many lonR-tailed apes. and
every species OF baboon. lnthe New World are
found spider monkeys ana lowing monkeys.
sapaJous and sakis. the gentle night ape (dou-
rocouli. the graceful squirrel monkeys. and
those piGnies OF the monkey world. the little
mnrmosetS. we have thus two great families
OF monkeys, one including all those enum-
Grated. from the chimparzee to tho balloons:
the other com prising the remaining forms.
from the spider monkeys to the marmosets.
-
i.
Mr.. Mfvart shows us that these two fam,,i.s
nj Old and Nav World anes dirar litaralIv from
from hand to tail. In most OF the points vbera.
in thew differ IL ia the Old World forms which
IA the more like man. Nevertheless. in some
resnacts. the American monkevs have nro-
crossed T., rther than the denizens OF Africa
and Asia. They baye deveIoped an additional
wisdom tooth. and no other. car maize 90 wIsa
a nae Of their tails. II ia we'll known that
have the feet modified into prehen.
si,e organs acting like hands. the great too |
powerfully in opposition to tho other |
four. This modification wonderfully adapts
them for tree lie. There is, however. one |
further possible ADAPTATION. and It is lust that |
admiration which is to be- found in the mon. |
KEYS of American forests. 1t is one which
supplies them with what is practically a NTH |
In the spider monkeys, tho wooIly |
and tho bowling monkeys the under
OF the terminal portion Of tho tail is |
tail itself is n very powerful organ and is capa-
BILE OF curling its own end SO firmly round
IN object that the animals whole body can
thus be safely suspended. A tail OF this kind
Is called "A nrehensile tail. Not every Ameri-
can monkey has 1t. but no monkeyw which 10 |
not American possesses anything OF the kind. |
Its possession must greatly add to the secur-
ity and ease OF locomotion OF any forest-dwell-
Ing beast The prehensile tall OF some Ameri-
can monkeys seems to have been developed In
the extraordinary forest region OF Brazil.
OF this region. A. X Wallace says
that In 1t ono forest Is lifted to and superim-
posed upon another forest. At a great height
q waving sen oil verdure rich with animal life
Is spread out in the dazzling sunshine. borne
upon columns which tower through the OBJ
OF the vast space beneath. wherein n
second growth OF what would seem
noble trees II hndsa congenlRl home. Beneath
these again there may yet be third similar
but smaller growth. while lycopods and q null
tltude OF humber herbs clothe the soil. OBJ
viousiy' II adaptation to surrounding condi-
lions takes place among animals.
EnnNtnl n q fnrAf M N hA