APE, (aap, Dutch; Affe, German; Affo, Old German; apa, Swedish and Irish; epa, Welsh), a word of uncertain, and not improbably African origin, and by some supposed to have originated in an imitation of the animal's "chatter."
The zoological group denoted by the term "ape," when used in its widest sense, includes animals known by the familiar terms of "monkeys" and "baboons," as well as others bearing the less known names of "sapajous," "sakis," and "marmosets." In a more restricted sense the term "ape" is sometimes emphatically applied to those of the whole group which are most man-like in structure, namely, to the orang, the chimpanzee, the gorilla, and the gibbons.
Certain other animals, of very different structure, are generally associated in the same ordinal group with the apes. These other animal are the lemurs, or lemuroids; called also "half-apes," after their German designation of Halbaffen.
By Linnaeus these creatures, together with bats and man, were placed in his highest and first order, to which he gave the name "Primates," dividing its contents into the four genera, Homo, Simia, Lemur, and Vespertilio. The bats are now by universal consent removed from the order; and some eminent naturalists, notably Professor Alphonse Milne-Edwards, are disposed to remove from it the lemurs also; but in every case there can be no question but that the latter animals must at least rank as a sub-order, for which the term "Lemuroidea" has been proposed.
The question whether man should or should not be placed in the same zoological order with the apes, must be decided according to the principles classification adopted. If that classification be purely morphological, i.e. be determined by form and structure only, he cannot well be separated from them, at least by any naturalist who would also include the lemurs in such order.
The Linnean name "Primates" has been retained for the ape order, not only by naturalists who (like Professor Huxley) retain man within its limits; but also by others (e.g., the Professors Isidore Geoffrey St Hilaire and Gervais), who consider that he should be excluded from it. Cuvier, on the other hand, proposed for the ordinal group of apes and lemurs only the term Quadrumanes (or four-handed), giving to that order, within which he placed man alone, the antithetical term Bimanes. In this he has been followed by very many naturalists, and in England, amongst others, by Professor Owen; and perhaps, the majority of writers since Cuvier have bestowed on two distinct orders the names Quadrumana and Bimana respectively.
Priority of use determine our preference for the Linnean name "Primates,ä but this preference is reinforced by consideration derived from anatomy and physiology.
The whole of the apes, as indeed the whole of the half-apes also, differ from man in having the great toe, or (as it is called in anatomy) the hallux, so constructed as to be able to oppose the other toes (much as our thumb can oppose the fingers), instead of being parallel with the other toes, and exclusively adapted for supporting the body on the ground. The prehensile character of the hallux is fully maintained even in those forms which, like the baboons, are terrestrial rather than arboreal in their habits, and are quite quadrupedal in their mode of progression. It was this circumstance that led Cuvier to bestow the name Quadrumanes upon the apes and lemurs. Now, if we accept, with Professor Owen, a the definition of the word "foot," "an extremity in which the hallux forms the fulcrum in standing or walking,ä then man alone has a pair of feet. But, anatomically, the foot of apes (as well as that of half-apes) agrees far more with the foot of man than with his hand, and similarly the ape's hand resembles man's hand and differs from his foot. Even estimated physiologically, or according to use and employment, the hand throughout the whole order remains the special prehensile organ; while the predominant function of the foot, however prehensile it be, is constantly locomotive. Therefore the term Quadrumana is apt to be misleading , since, anatomically as well as physiologically, both apes and men have two hands and a pair of feet.
Apart then from man, the apes constitute the first suborder of that which is the most man-like order of the class Mammalia (beasts), and which bears the name "Primates."
Such being the position of apes as a whole, they are zootomically divisible into a number of more and more subordinate groups, termed respectively families, subfamilies, and genera.
The following table exhibits what is believed to be, on the whole, the most natural and convenient arrangement of these groups of apes:-
Family I1. Simiinoe, ·····. Simia.
Simiadae. Troglodytes.
Hylobates.
Sub-Families. 2. Semnopithecince,·· Semnopithecus.
Colobus.
Cercopithecus.
3. Cynopithecineo,··. Macacus.
Cynocephalus.
Ateles.
Family II. 1. Cebinar,·····. Eriodes.
Cebidas. Lagothrix.
Cebus
2. Mycctine,····· Mycetes.
Sub.Families. 3. Pitheciinoe,···.. Pitchecia.
Brachyurus.
Nyctipithecus.
4. Nyctipithecinoe,··Chrysothrix.
Callithrix.
Hapale.
5. Hapalinoe,····Midas
The limits of the present article exclude altogether from consideration the half-apes or Lemurs.
The whole of the apes may be characterized by the following zoological definition, the meaning of the term of which will be explained later:-
Unguiculate, claviculate mammals, with a deciduate, discoidal placente and small allantois; with orbits enrircled by and separated off from the temporal fosscoe by plates of bone; lachrymal foramen not opening on the cheek; posterior cornua of os hyoids longer than the anterior cornua; dental formula as in man, save that a true molar may be wanting, or that there may be a premolar in excess, or both; brain with well-developed posterior cornua and with the cerebellum quite covered by the cerebrum, or only very slightly uncovered; hallux opposable, with a flat nail or none; a well-developed coecum; penis pendulous; testes acrotal; only two mammoe, which two are pectoral; uterus not two horned; thumb sometimes rudimentary or absent.
The great group of apes thus characterized is divisible, as the foregoing table indicates, into two great families, which are sharply distinguished by geographical distribution as well as by structural differences. The first of these families, SIMIADAE, is strictly confined to the warmer latitudes of the Old World. The second family, CEBEDAE, is as strictly confined to those of the New World.
Of the three sub-families into which the Simiadae are divided, the first, SIMINAE, contains only the orang, the chimpanzee, the gorilla, and the gibbons. These are the creatures which, anatomically, are the most like man of all the apes, on which account they are often called the "anthropoid" apes. They are also termed, on account of the relative breadth of their breast-bone or sternum, the "latisternal" or "broad breast-boned" apes.
The orang (S. satyrus) constitutes the genus Simia, which gives its name to the whole family (Simiadoe), as well as to the sub-family (Simiinoe) to which it belongs. Of this genus there is but one certain species, which is, however, subject to considerable variation. The orang is exclusively confined to the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, where it frequents the swampy forests near the coast. It attains a height of about 4 feet 4 inches; but its bulk is considerable, its legs, however, being exceedingly short. Its arms, on the contrary, are exceedingly long, reaching down to the ankle when the animal is placed in an erect posture. In harmony with this structure the animal rarely assumes, naturally, a truly erect posture, but walks resting on the knuckles of its hands and the outer sides of its feet, the soles of the latter being turned mainly inwards. Its motions are ordinarily very slow and deliberate, and its demeanour in captivity is languid and melancholy. It is, in a wild state, exclusively a vegetable feeder, and arboreal in its habits, forming in the trees a sort of nest or shelter of interwoven branches. The animal is covered with long, reddish-brown hair, and there are no naked spaces on the hinder part of the trunk. The forehead is rounded and rather high. Adult males are furnished with a longish beard on the chin, and they may also develop a large warty prominence, consisting of firbo-cellular tissue, on each side of the face. There is no vestige of a tail. The hands are very long; but the thumb is short, not reaching to the end of the metacarpal bone of the adjacent (index) digit. The feet have exceedingly long toes, except the great toe (hallux), which only reaches to the middle of the proximal phalanx of the index digit of the foot. The hallux is often destitute not only of a nail, but of the second or distal phalanx also; it nevertheless possesses an opponens muscle. The orang has twelve pairs of ribs, and has, compared with man, an extra wrist bone, or an os intermedium in its carpus. The brain of the orang has the cerebrum greatly convoluted, and is altogether more like the brain of man than is that of any other ape. A prolongation is developed from each ventricl of the larynx, and these processes in the adult become enormous, uniting together in front over the windpipe, and forming one great sac which extends down between the muscles to the exilla. There are, however, no cheek pouches. The canine teeth, especially of the adult males, are very large.
The chimpanzee and gorilla together form the genus troglodytes. Both of these species agree with the orang in being destitute of any rudiment of a tail, in having no check pouches, and no naked spaces at the hinder part of the trunk, as also in possessing tusk-like canines, and in the habit of resting on the knuckles of the hand in walking on the ground and of mainly dwelling in trees. The chimpanzee (T. niger) is found in Western Africa, from the Gambia to the Benguela, and extending inland to 28o E. long. It is the most man-like of the latisternal apes in the proportions of its arms, as these only reach a little below the knees when the body is placed upright. It is pf moderate stature, never appearing to exceed 5 feet in height. In disposition it is lively and intelligent, and its playfulness in captivity contrasts greatly with the lethargy of the orang. The forehead is not rounded, but a bony, supra-orbital ridge extends transversely above the eyes. Its ears are very large, and it has distinct eyebrows, eyelashes, and whiskers. The pollex reaches nearly or quite to the base of the first phalanx of the index of the hand, and thehallux to the proximal end of the second phalanx of the index of the foot. There is no os intermedium in the carpus. The laryngeal sacculus may, as in the orang, extend downwards to the axilla. There are thirteen pairs of ribs.
The gorilla (t. gorilla) is also West African, but has a less extended range than the chimpanzee, namely, between the Cameroon and Congo rivers only. It is the largest ape known, attaining a bulk of body considerably exceeding that man, though, on account of the shortness of its legs, it never seems to exceed the height of 5 feet 6 inches. It was first made known to modern by Dr. Thomas Savage, but it appears to have been seen by Hanno of Carthage, in his voyage south of the pillars of Hercules. The gorilla has not such dark hair as has the chimpanzee, being blackish-dun in colour, and becoming grey when old. Its skin, however, is black. Its arms are longer than those of its congener, reaching half-way down the shin. Its pollex reaches but very little beyond the proximal end of the first phalanx of the index of the hand (slightly further than in the chimpanzee), and its hallux to about the distal end of the proximal phalanx of the index of its foot. The fingers and toes, however, are curiously syndactyle, being bound together by the integument to the ends of the proximal phalanges. The forehead is not rounded, the supra-orbital crest being more prominent than even in the chimpanzee; the ears too are smaller relatively. The larynx is provided with enormous air-sacs, communicating with the ventricles and meeting over the trachea, and extending to the axilla with age. There is no os intermedium in the carpus, and there are thirteen pairs of ribs.
The gibbons, or long-armed apes, form the genus Hylobates, confined in the present day to the south-eastern continent of Asia and the Indian Archipelago. There are several species, but individual variation and sexual difference in colour are so great that their limits are not yet well defined. One well-marked species, the largest of the genus, is the siamang (H. syndactylus) of Sumatra, which is remarkable as being the ape with the best developed chin and widest breast-bone. It has also the second and third toes united by skin down to the last joint of each. Another well-marked form is the hoolock of Assam (H. hoolock). In the gibbons we first find that part upon which he body rests in sitting provided with naked callous spaces, termed (from that part of the haunch bone to which they are applied, the ischium) "ischial callosities'ä they are, however, still small. Though vegetable feeders, the gibbons are probably less exclusively so than are the yet higher apes before noticed. In captivity their manners are gentle, although their activity is surprising; especially remarkable are the enormous distances they can swing themselves by their long arms. In spite of this length of arm, which seems to render their bodily proportions so unlike those of man, the length of leg when compared with the length of the trunk of the body, is more human than in either of the two preceding genera. Another point in which they approach nearest to man, is the quality of voice which at least some of the species (e.g. H. hoolock) possess.
None of the gibbons have any rudiment of a tail, and they have no cheek pouches, but the canines are elongated and tusk like. When the body is erect, the arms are so long that they reach the ground. The hallux is well developed, reaching to the middle or end of the proximal phalanx of the index of the foot while the pollex only attains to, or reaches a little beyond, the proximal end of the proximal phalanx of the index of the hand. There is an os intermedium in the carpus. The laryngeal sacs are no longer prolongations of the laryngeal ventricles, but open into the larynx above the false vocal chords. The number of species is, as has been said, doubtful, but the following kinds are often reckoned as distinct, Syndactylus, Lar, Leuciscus, Agilis, Mulleri, Raffesii, Hoolock, Entelloides, Pilaetus, and Funereus.
On leaving the gibbons, which close the series of Anthropoid apes, we come at once upon animals of very different aspect, and from creatures devoid of any vestige of a tail, we pass at once to monkeys, which have that organ at its maximum of development. These are the two genera Semnopithecus and Colobus, which so closely resemble each other as to be hardly separable, but for their different geographical distributions. Together they form the subfamily Semnopithecinoe, and agree in having, as well as the long tail, arms shorter than the legs, and a slender body. They have small ischiatic callosities, but no cheek pouches. Their nails are compressed and pointed. Their stomach is very elongated and exceedingly sacculated, and their hinder-most lower grinding tooth has five tubercles. The laryngeal sac opens medianly into the front of the larynx, and is an extension of the thyro-hyoid membrane. The thumb is small or absent.
The genus Semnopithecus, in which there is a small thumb, is confined to South-Eastern Asia from the Himalaya southwards, the Indian Archipelago being its headquarters. One species, S. entellus (the hounaman), is an object of religious veneration to the Hindoos. Another very remarkable kind is found in Borneo. It is S. basalis (the kahan, or proboscis monkey), and as its name implies, it has an exceedingly long nose. In the young state, the nose is much smaller relatively, and is bent upwards. No similar structure was known to exist in any other ape whatever till quite recently. Now, however, the Rev. Father David (a Lazarist missionary,who has made many other important discoveries in zoology) has found high up in the cold forests at Moupin in Thibet, a large well-clothed species, with a small but distinct nose excessively turned up, on which accounts the name S. roxellaneo has been bestowed upon it. It is remarkable that a form, reminding us of the young condition of S. nasalis, should have been discovered in a region so remote from the island of Borneo as is Thibet. It is also very remarkable that a monkey of a genus the home of which is the warm Archipelago of India, should be found in forests where frost and snow last several months in the year, when their only food is tree buds, and tender shoots and twigs. The species of the genus to be mentioned, besides Entellus, Nasalis, and Roxellanoe, are -- Nemoeus, Leucoprymnus, Latibarbatus, Obscurus, Nestor, Cucullatus, Johnii, Priamus, Cristatus, Maurus, Femoralis, Auratus, Frontatus, Siamensis, Mitratus, Flavimanus, Rubicundus, Albipes, Nigripes, and Schistaceus.
The genus Colobus is exclusively African, but the species composing it only differ from the Semnopitheci, in that the thumb is generally absent or reduced to a small tubercle, which may or may not support a nail. The species are-Guereza, Verus, Temminckii, Vellerosus, Fuliginosus, Satanas, Angolensis, Ursinus, Ferrugineus, Kirkii, and Pallistus.
We now come to the concluding genera of the apes of the Old World, together forming the third sub-family Cynopithecinoe. This is a very natural group, but one exceedingly difficult to subdivide in a satisfactory manner, because the different characters gradually alter as we pass from round-headed, long tailed, and comparatively slender monkeys to dog-faced, short-tailed, and massive baboons. All the Cynopithecinoe agree in having pretty well-developed thumbs and a single stomach, as also in having the sides of the face distensible, serving as pockets wherein food may be temporarily stored, and technically called "cheek pouches." The hair is often annulated. The ischiatic callosities are larger than in the forms hitherto noticed, and in some kinds these parts become greatly swollen at the period of sexual excitement, the enlargement extending sometimes (as in Macaccus cyclopis) even to the tail. The male external generative organs tend to assume a bright and varied coloration, which is often accompanied with vivid hues on and about the face, by common consent, the Cynopithecinoe are divided into at least three genera, and by some naturalists (e.g. M. Isidore Geoffroy St Hilaire) they have been divided into as many as seven.
The first genus, Cercopithecus, includes those species of the sub-family, which by their length of tail and comparative slenderness, most nearly approach the members of the preceding sub-family. Many of the species (e.g. the Diana and white-nosed monkeys) are very attractive animals. Commonly the Cercopitheci have four tubercles to the last lower molar. The talapoin monkey (C. talapoin) has been made the type of a separate genus (Miopithecus), because it has but three such tubercles, while the mangabeys and white-eyelid monkeys (c. aethiops, collaris, and fuliginosus) have been separated off into a genus Cercocebus, because in them the last lower molar has fire tubercles. All the cercopitheci (including Miopithecus and Cercocebus) are African forms. Besides those already mentioned, the following species have been described by authors: - Nictitans, Petaurista, Cephus, Mona, Monoides, Diana, Labiatus, leucampyx, Pygerythrus, Lalandii, Sabaous, Cynpsurus, Ruber, Pyrrhonotus, Callitrichus, Rufoviridis, Albigena, Erythrogaster, Werneri, Melanogenys, Ludio, Erythrarchus, Ochraceus, Flavidus, Lunulatus, and Erxlebenii.
The next genus, Macacus, is Asiatic, with the exception of the Barbary ape, or maggot (M. inuus), which is found in Northern Africa and on the Rock of Gibraltar. Already in some of the Cercopitheci, notably in the mangabeys, the muzzle has acquired a greater prolongation. This becomes still more marked in the Macaci. It is this greater production of muzzle, the greater size in the ischiatic callosities, the frequent shortness of the tail, and the different geographical distribution, which can alone be given as differentiating these animals from thecercopitheci. In some kinds the tail is long. Occasionally (as in the wanderoo, M. silenus) it is tufted at the end and short. Sometimes, as in M. nemestrinus, it is very short, and occasionally, as in M. inuus, it is absent. On account of this absence of tail, this species has sometimes been made the type of a distinct genus, Inuus.
Another species, M. niger (from Celebes and Batchian), has, on account of the much greater production of its muzzle, been made the type of another genus, termed Cynopithecus.
The Macaci presents with the most northern forms of apes, namely, that of Gibraltar, and M. speciosus of Japan. Father David has lately brought from Moupin, in Thibet, a new species (M. thibetanus) which inhabits snowy mountains, and is clothed suitably for such a habitat, in thick and dense fur. In addition to the Macaci already mentioned, we may name the pecies Sinicus, Pileatus, Aureus, Cynomolgus, Silenus, Rhesus, Nemestrinus, Thibetanus, Ochreatus, Palpebrosus, Brunneus, Rufescens, Rheso-similis, Erythroeus, Cristatus, Tcheliensis, Cyclopis, Inornatus, Sancti-johannis, Lasiotus, Assamensis, Maurus, Philippinensis, and Nigrescens.
The remaining apes of the Old World are the baboons, which are entirely confined to Africa, and to that part of Asia which is zoologically African, namely, Arabia. These animals which constitute the genus Cynocephalus, have the characters of the Macaci still further developed in having still larger callosities, and a muzzle so extremely produced as to give the head the appearance of that of a dog, whence their generic name. The general form has also here become very massive, and the limbs being sub-equal in length, the appearance, like the locomotion, is quadrupedal. But the baboons have not only the muzzle so greatly produced, they have also the nostrils terminal in position like those of a hound and unlike what we have yet met with. The species C. gelada of Abyssinia and C. obscurrus form exceptions to this condition, as they have the nostrils placed as in the Macaci, on which account they have been made the type of a distinct genus, Theropithecus.
In the other Cynocephali, the tail may be moderately long, as in C. hamadryas, or very short, as in the mandrill, C. mormon. In the last-named species we again meet with much bulk of body, as it exceeds the chimpanzee in this respect. It is also remarkable for its bright coloration, the cheeks being brilliant blue, the nose vermilion, and the beard golden-yellow. Other species described are Sphinx, Olivaceus, Babuin, Anubis, Obscurus, Doguera, Porcarius, and Leucophoeus.
The baboons are the least arboreal and the least frugivorous of the Old World apes, some species, e.g., the chacma of Southern Africa (C. porcatius), living habitually amidst rocks, and feeding on eggs, large insects, and scorpions, as well as on vegetables food.
In the whole series of Old World apes we find the same number of different kinds of teeth as in man, the dental formula being-
FORMULA
or thirty-two teeth in all. again, in the whole series the two nostrils are divided the one from the other by a narrow septum; and if the skull be examined, a long bony tube (the meatus and auditorius externus) is seen to lead inwards on each side to the internal ear. Moreover, the thumbs, when present, are always more or less opposable to the other fingers.
In passing to the second family of apes-the Cebidoe, or apes of the New World -- we find them to form a very distinct and easily-defined group, and a little experience readily enables an observer to pronounce at a glance that a given ape belongs either to the Old or the New World, as the case may be.
The Cebidoe are more thoroughly arboreal in their habits than are the Simiadoe. Ranging over tropical America, they have their headquarters in the forests of Brazil, a region where most animal forms put on a more decidedly arboreal character. Accordingly, it is amongst the Cebidoe that we met with, for the first time, a special arboreal organ -- namely, a prehensile tail. Such a tail has its free end curled, and capable of grasping with greater or less tenacity the objects about which it coils. Again, in the Cebidoe, the septum between the nostrils is broad, instead of narrow, imparting to the physiognomy a markedly different character. In passing to these American apes we entirely lose cheek pouches and ischial callosities; while the thumb, even where best developed, is capable of but a very partial opposition to the other fingers, bending almost in the same plane with the latter, so as to be more like a fifth finger than a thumb. We also constantly find an additional premolar tooth on each side of each jaw, and that bony tube, the meatus auditorius externus, is wanting.
None of the Cebidoe attain the bulk of the larger baboons, nor have any such prominent muzzles as have the latter.
The Cebidoe are subdivisible into five sub-families: - 1. Cebinoe, 2. Mycetinoe; 3. Pitheciinoe; 4. Nyctipi thecinoe; and, 5. Hapalinoe.
The first sub-family consists of the four genera, Ateles, Eriodes, Lagothrix, and Cebus.
The genus Ateles is composed of the spider monkeys, which, as their name implies, have long and slender limbs. They have also a very long tail, which is in the highest degree prehensile, being naked beneath towards the tip, for more secure prehension. So powerful is the grasp of this organ that the whole body can be sustained by it alone. It even serves as a fifth hand, as detached objects, otherwise out of reach, can be grasped by it, and brought towards the hand or mouth. Their prehension is in other respects exceptionally defective, as the spider monkeys alone amongst the Cebidoe (like the Colobi amongst the Simiadoe) have the thumb reduced to a mere tubercle. Their laryngeal sac opens medianly, but from the back part of the trachea, just below the cricoid cartilage.
The spider monkeys are very gentle in disposition, and, by this and by their long limbs and special fitness for tree-life, seem to represent in an analogous manner in the New World the gibbons of the Old. Nevertheless, in spite of their admirable adaptation for arboreal life, their comparatively slow progression offers a marked contrast to the vigorous agility of the gibbons. Their hair is long, but not wolly. Species described are --Ater, Pentadactylus, Paniscus, Marginatus, Belzebuth, Melanochir, Hybridus, Vellerosus, Albifrons, Rufivetris, Variegatus, Griescens, Cucullatus, and Fuscipes.
Three species of ape having much general resemblance to spider monkeys have been erected into the genus Eriodes (E. arachnoids, hemidactylus, and hypocanthus). These animals, which are from South-Eastern Brazil, have the fur woolly, the thumb more or less rudimentary, the nails very laterally compressed, and the nostrils more approximated than in the other Cebidoe.
The woolly monkeys, Lagothrix, differ from the two preceding genera in having the thumbs well developed. Their nails are compressed laterally, as in Eriodes, but their nostrils are not approximated. As their name implies, their fur is woolly. Like Eriodes and Ateles, they have the tail strongly prehensile, and naked beneath towards the tip. The species which have been described as distinct are -- Canus, Humboldtii, Castelnaui, Tschudi, and Geoffroyi.
The genus Cebus, the typical genus of American apes, is composed of the sapajous, so commonly seen in captivity, and so much used for the exhibition of tricks of various kinds. Smaller in size, they are more robust in form than are the spider monkeys. They have well-developed thumbs, and their tail is curled at the end, but, not being naked beneath, is less strongly prehensile than in the three preceding genera. The sapajous have a pleasing voice, a flute-like whistling tone. The different species are very ill-defined, the individual differences being so numerous and so considerable. The species described are the following: - Capucinus, Hypoleucus, Elegans, Robustus, Apella, Cirrifer, Flavus, Castaneus, Barbatus, Frontatus, Chrysopus, Variegatus, Versicolor, Leucocephalus, Flasvescens, Annellatus, Subscristats, Capillatus, Fatuellus, and Vellerosus.
The next sub-family of American apes is very distinct, consisting, as it does, of a single genus, Mycetes, composed of the howling monkeys. These creatures are the most bulky of the American apes, and are those the muzzles of which are the most projecting. If the spider monkeys may be considered the analogical representatives of the gibbons, the howlers may similarly be esteemed those of the baboons. They are sluggish, and apparently stupid animals, but have a wonderful power of voice, facilitated by an enormous distension of the body of the hyoid bone into a large, deep, bony cup, sheltered between the jaws, which are specially deep for that purpose. Into this cup is received one of the three or five sacs with which the larynx is provided. The thyroid cartilage is very large. The howlers have long, very prehensile tails, naked beneath towards the tips. Their thumbs are well developed. Some of the species show much brilliance of colour, with bright red or golden hair on the flanks. There is, however, so much individual variation, or so many local varieties, that the species are as yet very little determined. The sexual difference in colour is great in one species-the male being deep black, and the female pale straw colour. Amongst the species described may be named-Seniculus,, Ursinus, Carayam Rufimanus, Niger, Villosus, and Palliatus.
The third sub-family of American apes is composed of very peculiar forms, termed Sakis, which are subdivided into two genera, Pitchecia and Brachyurus, according as the tail is long or short. They are together distinguished from all the Cebidoe yet noticed, by not having the tail prehensile, even when long; also by having the lower incisor teeth inclined forwards, instead of standing up vertically. Great differences as to the hair exist in this group, some having long hair over the whole body, others on the head, and others on the chin and cheeks, while a species of Brachyurus (B. calvus) has the head naturally bald. Of the genus Pithecia, the following species have been described: - Leucocephala, Rufiventer, Monachus, Satanas, Chiropotes, Albinasa, and Chrysocephala. Of Brachyurus, besides Clavus, only Rubicundus has as yet been described.
The Brachyuri are the only American apes with short tails, and they are the least arboreal, frequenting bushes rather than trees. They are very timid creatures, and gentle, and rather slow in their movements. It is but very rarely that any of the Pitcheciinoe have been brought to Europe alive.
The next sub-family, Nyctipithecinoe, contains three genera, which have a long but not prehensile tail, fairly-developed thumbs, and vertical lower incisor teeth. These animals are, in part at least, insectivorous.
The typical genus, Nytipithecus, contains only the night-apes, or douroucoulis (N. felinus, lemurinus, oseryi, rufipes, and Spixii), which have, in harmony with their nocturnal habits, enormous eyes. The orbits, though closely approximated, are nevertheless separated by a complete bony system. The head is rounded, but greatly drawn out posteriorly. The nostrils are rather approximated.
The beautiful little squirrel monkey, or Saimiri, and three allied species (Ch, ustus, entomophagus, and (Erstedii), form the genus Chrysothrix. They are distinguished from all other apes by the great backward prolongation of the bony cranium, the orbits of which, though smaller than those of Nyctipithecus, are, nevertheless, separated, but by an imperfect bony septum.
A few other kinds of American apes, together forming the genus Callithrix, somewhat resemble the night apes, but that the eyes are much smaller, and the nostrils wider apart. They differ from Chrysothrix in having small canine teeth, and the tail furnished with long hairs. The species of this genus are-Moloch, Personatus, Amictus, Giyo, Melanochir, Discolor, Donacophilus, Ornatus, and Castaneoventris.
There remains now to notice but one more group of apes, those which have been classed as the last sub-family-the Hapalinoe, marmosets, or oustitis. These animals are so different from all that have gone before that there is probably almost as much to be said for ranking them as a family by themselves as for considering them, as is here done, but a sub-family. Much, however, as they differ from all the other apes, they manifest their affinity to the rest of the Cebidoe by the absence of the meatus auditorius externus, and by the presence of the extra premolar tooth on each side of each jaw. They have, however, the same total number of teeth as have man and the Simiadoe. This is occasioned by their not possessing any third true molar, either above or below; so that their dentition thus differs from that of the Old World apes in two points, instead of only one. In all the apes we have yet noticed, except the orang, the hallux is well developed, while in the marmosets it is exceedingly small. The hand, however, is yet more exceptional, as the thumb is not at all opposable, while in common with all the other fingers, it is furnished with a long, curved, and pointed claw. The tail is not prehensile, but long. And furnished with more or less elongated hairs. In several, and specially the more commonly seen species, a tuft of long hairs projects outwards and backwards on each side of the head. These animals are very small, the largest being about the size of squirrels. They are, like squirrels, active in their motions, and arboreal in their habits, living in small troops, and eating insects as well as fruit. They are very difficult to keep in captivity in northern climates; but, nevertheless, they have occasionally bred in England, bringing forth as many as three at a birth, while all the other apes habitually bring forth but one. There are many different species of marmosets, and they have been divided into two genera, according as the lower canine (eye) teeth are or are not decidedly larger than the incisors (cutting-teeth) between them; those kinds in which the inferior and incisor canines are almost of equal length being retained in the genus Hapale, while those in which the lower incisors are much shorter than the adjacent canines are taken to form the genus Midas. It seems doubtful, however, whether this generic distinction can ultimately be maintained, an intermediate condition existing in some forms. The species of the genus Hapale are-Jacchus, Albicollis, Aurita, Humeralifer, Penicillata, Leucocephala, Melanura, and Pygmoea.
The species of the genus Midas are -- Rosalia, Chrysomelas, (Edipus, Geoffroyi, Bicolor, Ursulus, Rufimanus, Labiatus, Mystax, Rufoniger, Devilli, Nigrifrons, Flavifrons, Illigeri, Weddellii, Leucogenys, Melanurus, Argentatus, Chrysoleucus, Lagonotus, Graellsi, Pileatus, Elegantulus, and Rufiventer.
The characters of the subdivisions of the ape group may be synoptically expressed as follows:-
Family I. SIMIADAE.
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P.M. --- M.---; a bony meatuds auditiorius exernus; pollex opposable, if present; tail
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never prehensile; internasal septum narrow; often cheek pouches; often callosities pectoral limbs sometimes greatly exceeding the pelvic limbs in length; pelvic limbs never much longer than the pectoral limbs; Old World habitat.
Sub-Family I. Simiinoe.
Pectoral limbs much longer than pelvic limbs; no tail; no cheek pouches; caecum with a vermiform appendix; sternum broad; sometimes no os intermedium in the carpus; stomach simple.
Simia. -- Head vertically produced; arms reaching to ankle; ribs, twelve pairs; an os intermedium; hallux very small; no ischiatic callosities; hair red; habitat Asiatic.
Troglodytes. -- Head not vertically produced; arms not reaching more than half own the shin; ribs; thirteen pairs; no os intermedium, hallux well developed; no ischiatic callosities; hair black, dun, or grey, habitat African.
Hylobates. -- Head not vertically produced; arm reaching to the ground; an os intermedium, hallux well developed; small ischiatic callosities; habitat Asiatic.
Sub-Family II. Semnopithecinoe.
Pelvic limbs longer than pectoral limbs; tail very long; no cheek pouches; no vermiform appendix; sternum narrow; an os intermedium; ischiatic callosities; stomach complicated by sacculations; third lower molar always with fire tubercles.
Semnopithecus. -- Thumb small; habitat Asiatic
Colobus. -- Thumb generally absent; habitat African.
Sub-Family III. Cynopithecinoe.
Pelvic and pectoral limbs sub-equal in length; tail long, or short, or absent; cheek pouches; no vermiform appendix; sternum narrow; an os intermedium; ischiatic callosities present, often very large stomach simple; third lower molar sometimes with four tubercles.
Cercopithecus. -- Muzzle more or less short; callosities moderate; last lower molar generally with four tubrcles; tail long; habitat African.
Macacus. -- Muzzle more or less elongated; callosities rather large; last lower molar with five tubercles; tail long, short, or absent; nostrils not terminal; habitat Asiatic, North African, or European.
Cynocuphallus. -- Muzzle very long; callosities very large; last lower molar with five tubercles; tail more or less short; muzzle swollen by enlargement of maxillary bone; nostrils almost always terminal; habitat African.
Family II. CEBIDAE.
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P.M. ---- ; no bony meatus auditius externus; pollex never opposable; tail often
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prehensile; internasal septum broad; no cheek pouches; no ischiatic callosities; no vermiform appendix; always an os intermedium; pectoral limbs never more than slightly exceeding in length the pelvic limbs; pelvic limbs sometimes much longer than the pectoral limbs; New World habitat.
Sub-Family I. Cebinoe.
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M --- ; incisor vertical; tail long and prehensile; hyoid bone moderate; thumb present or
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absent.
Ateles. -- Form slender; limbs very long; fur not woolly; internasal septum as broad as usual in Cebidoe; thumb absent; tail distally naked beneath; nails not much laterally compressed and pointed
Eriodes. -- Form slender, limbs very long; fur woolly; internasal septum narrower than usual in Cebidae; thumb rudimentary; tail distally naked beneath; nails exceedingly compressed laterally, and pointed.
Lagothrix. -- Form rather robust' limbs moderate; fur woolly; internasal septum as broad as usual; thumb well developed; tail distally naked beneath.
Cebus. - Form rather robust; limbs moderate; fur not woolly; internasal septum as broad as usual; thumb well developed; tail not naked beneath distally.
Sub-Family II. Myedinoe.
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M --- ; incisor vertical; tail long and prehensile; naked beneath distantly; hyoid bone
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enormous; form of body massive; thumb well developed; internasal septum as broad as usual.
Mycetes.
Sub-Family III. Pitheciinoe.
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M --- ; incisor inclined outwards distally; tail long or short, never prehensile' hyoid
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bone moderate; thumb well developed; internasal septum as broad as usual.
Pithecia. -- Tail long.
Brachyyrus. -- Tail short.
Sub-Family IV. Nyctipithecinoe.
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M --- ; incisor vertical; tail long, not prehensile; hyoid bone moderate; thumb well
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developed.
Nyctipithecus. -- Head rounded; eyes enormous; nostrils rather approximated.
Chrysothix. -- Head exceedingly elongated; eyes large, closely approximated; canines well developed; hair of tail rather short.
Callithrix. -- Head small, depressed and not elongated; nostrils widely separate; canines small; hair of tail elongated.
Sub-Family V. Gapalinoe.
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M --- ; incisor vertical; tail long not prehensile; hyoid bone moderate; thumb elongated,
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not at all opposable; hallux very small; a long curved and pointed claw to all the digits, except the halluyx.
Hapale. -- Lower incisors and canines of equal length.
Midas. Lower canines much longer than the lower incisors.
Read the rest of this article:
(1) Ape: Introduction, General (YOU ARE HERE)
(2) Apes - Anatomy
(3) Apes - Distribution in Time, Geographical Distribution, Zoological Position and Affinities