106 ON THE LEMURlOfc. 



The first finger of the hinder hands is furnished, as in the Lemurs generally, 

 with a long, subulate, curved .claw. 



Forehand of Perodidicus Geoffroyi, Benn. 



The essential characters of the present genus consist in the moderate elongation 

 of the face ; the moderate size of the ears ; the equality of the limbs, and 

 especially in the extreme shortness of the index of the anterior hands, to which 

 may be added, the comparative length of the tail ; this is shorter than in the 

 restricted genus Lemur, or than in Microcebus, Galago, or Tarsius, but longer than 

 in Loris, in which latter genus this organ is merely a rudiment. In the abbre- 

 viation of the index finger, the genus Loris approximates nearest to it ; still, 

 however, this abbreviation, though considerable in Loris, is far less so than 

 in Perodidicus, where we find it carried to its maximum. The habits of the 

 species are described as being slothful and retiring. " It seldom makes its 

 appearance but in the night-time, when it feeds upon vegetables, and chiefly the 

 Cassada. It is known to the colonists as the ' Bush-dog.' " 



Weeded of the Microcebus pusillus and its allied species on the one hand, 

 and of the Potto (Perodidicus J on the other, the genus Galago, to which we 

 next turn our attention, will be found to include but a limited number of cor- 

 rectly known species ; and of these the habitat of one, though suspected to be 

 Africa, is not ascertained. One species (Galago Senegalensis, Geoffr.) is a 

 native of Senegal, where it is known under the name of the "animal of the gum." 



Agreeing with the true Lemurs in the general characters of dentition, there 

 being four incisors in the upper jaw, placed in pairs, with an intermediate space, 

 and six in the lower, narrow, compressed and projecting, the genus Galago 

 presents a series of well-marked and important points upon which to base its 

 genuineness. 



