MONKEYS, APES AND THEIR KINDRED 171 



chestnut-brown dorsal stripe from the crown to the loins; a dark- 

 brown circle round the eyes; and a prominent line of white down 

 the nose and near the eyes. It varies a great deal, however, in both 

 size and colour according to the district it frequents, and so great is 

 the variety exhibited that some zoologists have accorded certain 

 individuals specific distinction. This accounts for the name of Grey 

 Slow Loris being given to the specimen depicted in Fig. 139, the 

 silvery-grey fur of this animal entitling it, in the opinion of some 

 naturalists, to be designated a distinct species. 



It is a tree-loving animal of nocturnal habits, and resembles the 

 Slender Loris in this respect. It is not gregarious, either being of 

 a solitary disposition or living in pairs. As its name indicates, it 

 is of slow movement, and differs in a marked manner from the true 

 Lemurs in this respect. 



SLENDER LORIS.— The Slender Loris (Fig. 140) is an inhabitant 

 of Ceylon and Southern India, and has been referred to by Dr. 

 Forbes — to whose work acknowledgment is due for a great deal of 

 the information in the latter part of this chapter — as a "curious, 

 emaciated-looking little creature" which "is nocturnal, living 

 entirely in trees. It sleeps during the day rolled up in a ball, with 

 its head between its legs, grasping its perch with its hands. Accord- 

 ing to Jerdon, these animals are occasionally brought in large 

 numbers to the Madras market, their eyes being a favourite remedy 

 of the Tamil doctors for ophthalmic diseases. In its movements it 

 is slightly more active than the Slow Loris. Its food consists of 

 succulent leaves, honey, insects, birds' eggs and small animals." 



This species is so called because of its slender body and limbs, 

 and these are clothed in soft, close woolly fur. The large eyes show 

 up very prominently on the short, round head; the nose is pointed 

 and narrow; and the ears small. In colour it is dingy-grey on the 

 upper parts and greyish-white below. It is eight inches in length, 

 and the young are more rust-coloured than the parents. 



GALAGOS AND MOUSE LEMURS.— The Galagos are closely related 

 to the two small animals last under review, and this sub-family of the 

 Lemurs is split up into two groups, the one consisting of those kinds 

 which are found on the African mainland, and the other of those 

 only inhabiting Madagascar, known as the true African Galagos and 

 Mouse Lemurs respectively. 



The last-named are represented by the Maholi Galago in Fig. 

 141. The Galagos have soft woolly fur; they vary in size; the ears 



