!04 ON THE LEMURIDjE. 



may be a sort of reservoir. The relation of the plexus of vessels to the bulk of 

 the limb which that plexus supplies with blood, is greater in point of volume 

 than is that of the simple artery in ordinary animals. For an account of the 

 general anatomy of the Slender Loris, see Zool. Proceed, for 1833, p. 22. 



The animals of the present genus are eminently nocturnal and arboreal ; they 

 sleep during the day, clinging to a branch, with the body drawn together, and 

 the head doubled down upon the chest ; at night they prowl among the forest 

 boughs in search of food. Nothing escapes the scrutiny of their large glaring 

 orbs ; they mark their victim, insect or bird, and cautiously and silently make 

 their advances towards it, until it is within the range of their grasp ; they then 

 seize it with an unexpected and rapid movement, and devour it on the spot, 

 previously divesting it, if a bird, of its feathers. 



Of all the Lemuridce which we have seen alive, none appear to be so sus- 

 ceptible of cold, or so incommoded by daylight, nor are any so apparently dull 

 and inanimate. They appear as if in a continued state of torpor ; but if exposed 

 to the influence of warmth, they rouse up not only on the approach of evening, 

 but, if secluded from light, even during the hours of day. When fairly awake, 

 and comfortable, they delight to clean and lick their full soft fur, and will allow 

 themselves to be caressed by those accustomed to feed them. An interesting 

 account of the habits of one of these animals in captivity is given by M. 

 D'Obsonville, and, recently, by Mr. Baird, in Loudon's Magazine of Natural 

 History, to which we refer our readers. 



Two species are known, namely, 1st, the Slender Loris ( Loris gracilis, Geoff. 

 in Ann.) Loris grele, Cuv. General colour rufous grey, with a white mark be- 

 tween the eyes; length of head and body about ten inches. Limbs long, and 

 very slender. Habitat, Ceylon. 



2nd, Slow-paced Loris ( Loris tardigradus, Audeb.). Fur soft and full; 

 colour brownish grey, a deep chesnut stripe passing down the middle of the back ; 

 this stripe, continued on to the head, gives off a branch which encloses each ear, 

 and another which encircles each eye, and extends to the angles of the mouth ; a 

 white spot on the forehead interrupts this chesnut mark. Size of a small Cat, 

 the length being about 12 or 13 inches. Habitat, Ceylon, Java, Bengal. 



Geoffroy St. Hilaire (see Annales, xix.) regards the Bengal and the Javanese 

 animals as distinct from the Ceylon species, and from each other. Our ex- 

 amination of specimens from the above localities does not lead us to the same 

 conclusion. Geoffroy founds his main distinctions on the intensity of the 

 dorsal stripe. 



LinnjEus originally confounded both the Slender and the Slow Loris under 

 the name of Lemur tardigradus, and Schreber continued the term tardigradus 



