THE DWARF-LEMURS. 59 



the eastern forest into the heart of Betsileo, a few miles north of 

 Fianarantsoa, where they are tolerably abundant, frequenting 

 the tops of the highest trees. Among these it moves about 

 on all fours (its very stout limbs having beautifully perfect 

 hands), using its tail as a balance by twisting it round a branch. 

 The tail is, however, not truly prehensile, the animal only 

 employing it to steady itself, or to hold on slightly by. This 

 species, whose food consists chiefly of fruit and insects, builds 

 a nest in a fork amid the smallest branches near the top of 

 some very high tree, the female bringing forth two and some- 

 times three young at a birth. 



IV. THE FORK-MARKED DWARF-LEMUR. MICROCEBUS FURCIFER. 



Lemur fur cifer, Blainv., Osteogr. Mamm., 1841, p. 35, pi. vii. 

 Cheirogakus furcifer, Isid. Geoffr., C. R., xxxi., p. 876 (1850) ; 



Mivart, P. Z. S., 1867, pp. 960-975 (skull and tarsus 



figured). 

 Lepilemur furcifer, Gray, P. Z. S., 1863, p. 145. 

 Fhaner furctfer, J. E. Gray, Cat. Monkeys, Brit. Mus. App., 



PP- 132, 135 (1870). 

 Microcebus furctfer, Forsyth Major, Nov. Zool., vol. i., p. 16 



(1894). 

 Characters. — Ears large and long ; snout pointed ; tail longer 

 than the body, and equally haired ; foot elongate. General 

 colour reddish-grey. Unmistakably recognisable by the black 

 dorsal streak bifurcating on the forehead into two branches, 

 extending on the inner side of the ears and terminating over 

 each eye. 



Facial portion of skull longer than cranial ; angle of lower 

 jaw much produced backwards and downwards ; hind margin 

 of palate extending back to hinder margin of posterior molar ; 

 hind perforations of palate large ; border of maxillary swollen 



