24 THE LOWER PRIMATES 



unlike the other fingers and toes; w hile in tarsias the third toe also is furnished 

 with a similar nail (Figs. 9 and 11). 



Certain important divergences exist between the suborders of primates, 

 which involve the digits of the feet and hands. In lemurs the thumb and great 

 toe are always well developed, while the second or third digit constantly 

 manifests some abnormality; as, for example, a remarkable elongation of the 

 third digit in Chiromys, or the complete absence of the index in Potto (Figs. 

 12 and 13). In the Anthropoidea, on the other hand, it is the hallux and 

 the pollex \\hich are subject to most marked variation. 



In size the lemur is about equal to the domestic cat. The fur is thick and 

 often woolly in texture. The eyes are large and prominent, the ears long, with 

 tufts of hair on their upper portions. The arms are not c]uite as long as the 

 legs. The tail, usually about half as long as the body, is sometimes inclined 

 to be bushy. Fleshy pads appear on the palms of the hands and feet as well 

 as upon the palmar surface of the fingers, thus permitting the animal to 

 grasp the branches of trees with great tenacity. 



The Lemur's Habits in the W ild State 



Little is known of the lemur's habits in the wild state. It is not strictly 

 nocturnal, for some species are seen in search of food during the day as well 

 as at night. They go in troupes often consisting of many individuals. They 

 are very noisy and live in the forests. One species alone frequents rocky places 

 destitute of trees; namely. Lemur catta. The animals live upon fruits of 

 various kinds, insects, birds' eggs and birds themselves when they can catch 

 them. During the heat of the day they sleep with the head placed beneath 

 the arm and the tail curled about the neck. When walking they go upon the 

 hands and the feet both on the ground and in the trees, the tail being 

 carried above the body in the manner of a balancing or steering organ. 

 Their f )ur limbs are primarily used in locomotion and only to a limited 



