684 PRIMA TES 



second of the hind foot) with flat nails, and corresponding form of 

 ungual phalanges. 



Subfamily Indrisinse. — The dentition of the adult consists of 

 thirty teeth, usually expressed by the formula i f , c \, p -§-, m f- ; 

 but, as indicated above, they may be i §, c ^, p f , m § . In the 

 milk-dentition there are twenty-two teeth, the true molars of course 

 not being represented, but there are two additional teeth in the 

 fore part of the lower jaw which have no successors in the permanent 

 series. Hind limbs greatly developed, but the tarsus normal. 

 Hallux of large size, and very opposable. The other toes united 

 at their base by a fold of skin, which extends as far as the end of 

 the first phalanx. Mammae two, pectoral. Caecum very large, and 

 colon extremely long and spirally coiled. 



The animals of this group are, as their organisation indicates, 

 essentially arboreal, and feed exclusively on fruit, leaves, buds, and 

 flowers. They are restricted geographically to the island of 

 Madagascar. Among them are the largest members of the sub- 

 order. A detailed and beautifully illustrated account of their 

 characters, external and internal, and distribution and habits, 

 is given in the Histoire Naturelle de Madagascar, by A. Grandidier 

 and Alphonse Milne-Edwards (1875). The species are not numerous 

 and are distributed into three genera. 



Indris. 1 — Upper incisors subequal in size. Upper canine larger 

 than the first premolar. Muzzle moderately long. Ears exserted. 

 Carpus Avithout an os centrale. Tail rudimentary. Vertebrae : 

 C 7, D 12, L 9, S 4, C 9. 



The only well-established species is the Indris (/. hrevicaudata, 

 Fig. 325), discovered by Sonnerat in 1780. It is the largest of 

 the Lemurs, the length of the head and body being about 2 feet, 

 and the tail 2 inches. It is very variable in colour, for although 

 usually nearly black, marked with whitish spots principally in the 

 lumbar region and forearm, individuals have been found quite 

 white. It inhabits exclusively the forests of a part of the east 

 coast of Madagascar, living in small troops of four or five in number, 

 and resembling in most of its habits the animals of the next genus. 



Propithecus. 2 — Second upper incisor much smaller than the first. 

 Upper canine larger than the first premolar. Muzzle rather short. 

 Ears short, concealed by the fur. An os centrale in the carpus. 

 Tail long. Vertebrae : C 7, D 12, L 8, S 3, C 28. 



The species are all subject to great variations in colour, which 

 has led to much difficulty in discriminating them, and to much 

 confusion of synonymy. Grandidier and Milne-Edwards recognise 

 three as certainly distinct — P. diadema, P. verreauxii, and P. 

 coronatus (Fig. 326). Some of these are to be found in almost 



1 Geoffroy, Mag. Encyclop. 2d aim. vol. i. p. 46 (1796), "Indri." 

 2 Bennett, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1832, p. 20. 





