Evening star., 1932-06-04
Zoo Gets White Monkey
oUEEREST MEMBER OF FAMILY COMES HERE
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

A WHITE monkey with a scarlet
n face and a brown beard-one Of
II the rarest and queerest Of the
1 \ monkey family-has just been
obtained by the National Zoo
logical Park.
1t is the Ouakari monkey, wh1cbFAS
seldom seen even around the heaGWAg
tiers of the Amazon, where it is no
turnal creature of very restricteU|
range. Many naturalists have sought
it in its native habitat and returned
with empty hands. 1t lives in the few
square miles Of dense forest on the west
bank of the Japura River. It is hem
med in by streams on every side, which
1t cannot cross because Of fear of the
fierce "cannibal fishes" which bite
great chunks of flesh out Of any animal
that tries to make the passage.
Difficult TO Catch.
A very few Ouakaris have been cap
tured alive by the jungle Indians. II
order to be taken the little animal must
be barely scratched by an arrow on the
tip of which is placed a poison known
as "urari." This brings about a slow
paralysis. When hit the animal runs
with almost the speed of a flying bird
through the tree tops. Only exceptional
Indian hunters are able to follow its
progress as the paralysis gradually takes
effect and the animal falls. Ordinarily
the paralysis would continue until the
animal died were it not that a pinch
of salt is an immediate antidote for
the urari. This explanation is given by
the Indians themselves and is vouched
for by such naturalists as Alfred Russell
Wallace and H. w. Bates, who made
intensive biological surveys of the
region.
The Ouakari now in Washington is
about the size of kitten. 1t was OBJ
tanned from dealer who secured it
from native hunters. Ordinarily the
little animal dies after a few days in
captivity, but this specimen is in good
Mann, director Of the Zoo 1t also is
an exceptionally gentle animal. Most
accounts of it describe the creature as
wild and untamable
In the wild it is an entirely nocturnal
creature, which lives in small troops
and never leaves the treetops.
Its native jungles are almost con-
stantly flooded. The mother carries the
young on her back until they are almost
half her own size. The weird appear
ance of the little animal is increased by
ltS Dig, reodlSh-yelloW eyes, adapted for
seeing In the dark. It has fabby cheeks
which hang below its jaws It Is sup
posed to feed entirely on fruits.
Anteater Also Caught.
From the same region DR.. Mann has
just added giant anteater to the
national collection When this creature
goes to sleep it covers itself with its
tail as with blanket. Its tail is ap-
proximately feet long and foot and
a half wide, so that it covers the
creature completely and probably fur
nishes a good protection against insects
During the daytime the tail is carried
perfectly erect.
The giant anteater has no teeth, but
in place of them a very long tongue
with which it laps up ants whose hills"
it breaks open with its long claws
Nevertheless, it is one of the most
dreaded animals of the Jungle. 1t will
attack man with its long claws.
Another curiosity just added is the
mot mot. bird who picks the feathers
off the quill of its tail, leaving only
tuft at the end. This tail is about
foot long. The bird now at the Zoo
is growing one at the rate of about
half inch day. The strange habit,