The Marikina (_fig. 218._) is commonly known by the name of the little
Lion Ape. We reject this compound denomination, because the marikina
is not an ape but a sagoin, and no more resembles the lion than a lark
resembles an ostrich, there being no affinity between them, except
in the long hairs that surround the face of the marikina, and a tuft
of hair at the end of his tail. His hair is long, soft, and glossy.
His head is round, face brown, eyes red, ears round, and naked, and
concealed under the long hairs which surround his face. These hairs
are of a bright red, and those on the body and tail of a very pale
yellow, approaching a white. This animal has the same manners, the same
vivacity, and the same inclinations as the other sagoins. He seems to
be of a more robust temperament, for we have seen one which lived five
or six years in Paris, without any other particular care than keeping
it during the winter in a chamber, wherein there was a fire every day.
_Distinctive Characters of this Species._
The marikina has neither pouches on the sides of his cheeks, nor
callosities on his posteriors. His tail is flaccid, and nearly as long
again as both his head and body. The apertures of the nostrils are on
each side of the nose, and the partition which divides them very thick.
His ears are round and naked. The hair is long, of a yellowish red
colour about the face[AA], and bright yellow hairs, nearly of an equal
length, over every other part of the body; his tail is terminated with
a considerable tuft of hair. He walks on all fours, and is not above
eight or nine inches long.
[Footnote AA: The face is flat, and of a dull purple colour. _Pennant._]