696 



PRIMA TES 



constructs large ball-like nests of dried leaves, lodged in a fork 

 of the branches of a tree with the opening on one side. The 

 resemblance of its teeth to those so characteristic of the Rodentia 

 caused it to be placed formerly in that order, and it was only when 

 its anatomical characters were fully known that its true affinities 

 with the Lemurs became apparent. 1 



Extinct Lemuroids. 



The discoveries of the last few years have revealed the former 

 existence, both in Europe and North America, of a number of 

 extinct animals more or less closely allied to the living Lemurs, 

 which are of especial interest as showing in some instances characters 

 of a more generalised type than is the case with the living- 

 representatives of the suborder. It is, however, in some cases very 

 difficult to determine whether these extinct forms should be referred 

 to the Lemuroidea or Insectivora ; and if those naturalists are right 

 who regard these groups as survivors of a very generalised ancestral 

 type of mammalian organisation, it is to be expected that as we 

 recede in time we should find that the two groups show more and 

 more marked signs of a natural connection. The earliest reference 

 of one of these extinct Upper Eocene types to the Primates was 

 made in 1862 by Professor L. Riitimeyer, of Basle, who described 

 part of an upper jaw with three teeth from the so-called Bohnerz 

 of Egerkingen, near Soleure in Switzerland, under the name of 

 Ccenopithccus lemuroides, regarding the animal to which the specimen 

 belonged as partaking of the characters both of the Lemurs and the 

 American Monkeys. Most other palaeontologists refused, however, 

 to accept this determination, and it was not until many years 

 later that the researches of Gaudry and Filhol showed not only 

 that Ccenqpitheeus was indeed a true Lemuroid, but also that it was 

 either identical with or closel} T allied to a form described by Cuvier 

 in the early part of this century under the name of Adapts and 

 regarded as referable to the Ungulata. Later researches have 

 brought to light other Lemuroids in the Tertiaries of both the Old 

 and the New World ; and it is very noteworthy that all these types 

 seem to have disappeared from both regions with the close of the 

 upper portion of the Eocene period. 



Among the more interesting of the forms which are generally 

 regarded as true Lemuroids we may first mention a small species 

 from the Quercy Phosphorites, of which the hinder cheek-teeth are 

 shown in Fig. 332, A, which was originally described as Necrolemur 

 antiquus, but appears to be generically identical with Miavchcerus 



1 R. Owen, "On the Aye-aye," in Trans. Zoo!. Soc. 1862, vol. v. p. 33 ; 

 W. Peters, "Ueber die Saugethier - Gattung Chiromys," in Abhand. Kbnigl. 

 Akad. der TFissensch often, Berlin, 1865, p. 79. 



