1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Squirrel Monkey
SQUIRREL MONKEY, the English name of a small golden-haired South American monkey, commonly known as Chrysothrix sciurea, and also applied to the two other members of the same genus, whose collective range extends from Costa Rica to Bolivia and Brazil. It has, however, been proposed to transfer the name Chrysothrix to the marmosets of the genus Hapale, to which it is stated to have been originally applied, and to replace it by Saimiris. The squirrel-monkeys were formerly classed with the douroucoulis (see Douroucouli), but, on account of their brain-structure, they have been transferred to the Cebinae (see Capuchin-Monkey), from the other members of which they differ by their practically non-prehensile tails and smaller size, while they are further distinguished by their comparatively large eyes and the backward prolongation of the hinder part of the head. They are exceedingly pretty little monkeys. (See Primates.) (R. L.*)