INTRODUCTION. 3 



The Lemurs have, by many distinguished naturalists, been 

 relegated to a distinct Order quite separate from the latter; 

 but by such pre-eminent authorities as Linnseus, Lesson, Hux- 

 ley, Eroca and Flower, they have been assigned a subordinate 

 position within that great Order, on which has been conferred 

 the rank of the Primates of the Animal Kingdom. 



The Order Primates, therefore, comprises two very homo- 

 geneous sub-orders — (i)The Lemur-like animals (Lemuroidea) 

 including the Aye- Aye, the Tarsier, and the True Lemurs ; and 

 (2) the Man-like animals (the Anthropoidea), which embrace 

 the Marmosets, the Baboons, the great Apes, and Man. 



In common with all other Mammals, the Primates are fur- 

 nished with an epidermal covering, which, except in Man, con- 

 sists of a woolly or hairy fur. They possess four limbs and a 

 tail, which may be long, short, or concealed, and which is often 

 used as a prehensile organ. The young are born in a condition of 

 greater or less helplessness, with their eyes, as a rule, unopened, 

 and the framework of their bodies incompletely ossified, and 

 consequently requiring protective care and entire nourishment 

 from the mother, for a considerable period. At maturity 

 this skeleton consists of a skull, a breast- and a back-bone of 

 many pieces, ribs, jointed limbs, and a pair of collar-bones. 

 As a knowledge of many of these bones and some of the more 

 prominent organs of the body are necessary for an accurate 

 comprehension of the description and classification of the 

 animals discussed in this volume, a few of the more important 

 must be briefly referred to. 



The cranium^ formed of many bones firmly united together, 

 consists of a cerebral region, or box, containing and guarding the 

 brain, and a facial region, in which are situated, besides the mouth, 

 the organs of sight and smell. The bones connected with the 



B 2 



