THE GALAGOS. 37 



matic action of the flexor muscles of the toes (the digits con- 

 tinuing flexed even after death), and the mere extension of 

 the leg largely contributes to the " effortless suspension of the 

 body " {Murie), as in the Fruit-Bats and other species which 

 hang passively by their hind-limbs. {Huxley.^ 



Dr. Coghlan, speaking of the Chinese race (TV! cinereus)^ says : 

 " They make a curious chattering noise when angry, and when 

 pleased at night they utter a short though tuneful whistle of 

 one unvaried note ; this whistle is thought by Chinese sailors, 

 who take them to sea, to denote the coming of wind. ... 

 Their intelligence seems to be much below that of the 

 Monkey. . . . The Slow-Loris, when newly-born, is about 

 four inches long, and covered with fur ; it holds on by its four 

 hands to the mother's fur, and in that attitude sucks the milk 

 from its parent's breast," 



THE GALAGOS. SUB-FAMILY IL GALAGIN^. 



The Lemurs comprised in the present Sub-family are di- 

 visible into two groups — those inhabiting the mainland of 

 Africa and those confined to the island of Madagascar. The 

 exclusively African species, the True Galagos, constitute the 

 single genus Galago ; while the Malagasy group is represented 

 by three genera, the so-called Fat-tailed Lemurs {Opolemiir), 

 the Dwarf- Lemurs {Microcebus)^ and the Mouse-Lemurs {Chiro- 

 gah). The members of this Sub-family vary considerably in 

 size, and are all covered with soft woolly fur. Their ears 

 especially are largely developed, being more or less mem- 

 branaceous and naked, and their sense of hearing very 

 acute. The eyes are large and the tail always elongated. In 

 the skull the length of the muzzle is less that the greatest 

 longitudinal diameter of the orbit (except in the genus Galago). 



