The most active, playful, and amusing of animals are the midas monkeys,
which form the second family of American Quadrumana, several species of
which exist, each in its respective district. As they are seen
gambolling among the branches,--now running round and round the trunk of
a perpendicular tree, now with their sharp claws rapidly mounting the
branches, sending down showers of rotten bark and twigs, and uttering
sharp twittering cries,--they might be mistaken for a troop of
squirrels.
They are restless, inquisitive little creatures, possessed of a large
share of curiosity. When a stranger is passing through the forest, they
invariably stop for a few moments to have a stare at him.
Though in no way related to squirrels, which belong to the rodent order,
they may easily be mistaken for them at a distance. They are all of
small size, and very similar, in their mode of climbing, to squirrels.
Their nails, also, except those of the hind-thumbs, are long and
claw-shaped; and the thumbs of the fore extremities, or hands, are not
opposable to the other fingers. Their bodies are long and slender,
clothed with soft hair; and their tails, though not prehensile, are
nearly twice the length of their bodies.