98 



THE GALAGO. 



AVAHI, OR INDRI. Indris laniger. 



very bushy, excepting at the extremity, and its color 

 of the fur is very soft, and there is a slight woolliness in 



Nocturnal in habits, it sleeps dxiring the day, with 

 its large ears folded over the head in such a mannei 

 as to give it the aspect of an earless animal. More 

 active than the loris, the Moholi does not secure its 

 prey by stealing on it with slow and silent movements, 

 but leaps upon the flying insects on w r hich it loves to 

 feed, and seizes them in its slender paws. Besides 

 insects, various fruits form part of the Moholi' s food, 

 more especially such as are of a pulpy nature, and it 

 is said that the Moholi eats that vegetable exudation 

 which is known by the name of Gum-Senegal. Its 

 diurnal repose is taken in the curious nest which it 

 builds in the forked branches of trees, using grass, 

 leaves, and other soft substances for the purpose. In 

 this lofty cradle the young are nurtured until they are 

 of an age to provide for themselves. 



The face is full of expression, in which it is aided 

 by the large and prominent ears ; and the creature is 

 said to contract its cotmtenance into strange grimaces, 

 after the fashion of the ordinary monkeys. Like the 

 monkeys, too, it can leap for some little distance, and 

 springs from one branch to another, or from tree to tree 

 with agility and precision. The Moholi Galago is an 

 inhabitant of Southern Africa, having been found by 

 Dr. Smith hopping about the branches of the trees 

 that bordered the Limpopo river, in twenty -five degrees 

 of south latitude. 



At first sight, there is some external resemblance 

 between the Galago and the little animal which is 

 figured on page 99. The ears, however, are not so-large 



The ears of the Ga- 

 lago are large, and, during 

 the life of the animal, are 

 nearly transparent. The 

 eyes are very large, and 

 of that peculiar lustre 

 which is always seen in 

 the nocturnal animals. 

 It is a native of Mada- 

 gascar. 



The MOHOLI GALAGO 

 is a larger animal than the 

 preceding, being nearly 

 sixteen inches in length, 

 inclusive of the tail. Its 

 color is gray, with irreg- 

 ular markings of a deeper 

 hue. The under parts of 

 the body are nearly white, 

 and the limbs are slight- 

 ly tinged with a golden 

 lustre. The tail is not 



is a chestnut brown. The texture 



its setting. 



THE GALAGO. Otalienw galaqo. 



