116 LEPIDOLEMU R 



angle of the mandible is produced downwards as well as backwards. 

 The navicular bone is long and the foot thereby lengthened. 



The species, like all those of the Lemurid^, are nocturnal and 

 live in trees, and are agile in their movements. But little is known of 

 their habits, and certain of the species are represented by the unique 

 types in Museums only. The genus is divided into two groups arranged 

 according to size e. g. large or small, the first containing three species, 

 the latter four. When a number of examples have been assembled 

 together, much variation in color is seen to exist among the older forms, 

 but whether an equal diversity will be found on the species more 

 recently described it is impossible to state at present. All the species 

 thus far discovered are natives of Madagascar. 



LITERATURE OF THE SPECIES. 



1851. /. Geoff roy Saint Hilaire, Catalogue des Primates. Premihe 

 Partie Mammiftres. 

 Lepidolemur mustelinus, genus and species described. 



1867. Grandidier, in Revue et Magasin de Zoologie. 

 Lepidolemur ruficaudatus first described. 



1870. /. E. Gray, Catalogue of Monkeys, Lemurs and Fruit-eating 

 Bats, in the British Museum. 

 Lepidolemur mustelinus redescribed as L. dorsalis. 



1894. Forsyth-Major, in Forbes Handbook of Primates. 



Four species are here described for the first time, viz., L. micro- 

 don, L. edwardsi, L. globiceps and L. grandidieri. 



1894. Forsyth-Major, in Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 

 Lepidolemur leucopus described. 



GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE SPECIES. 



On the eastern coast of Madagascar L. mustelinus is found from 

 Mt. Ambre in the north to Fort Dauphin in the south ; and in the 

 eastern districts of Betsileo Province, Central Madagascar, L. micro- 

 don is met with. At Fort Dauphin in the southeastern part of the 

 island, L. leucopus was obtained. Passing to the opposite side of 

 Madagascar at Betseko on the northwestern part L. edwardsi was pro- 

 cured ; and somewhere in this part, locality not given by its discoverer, 

 L. grandidieri comes ; in the southwestern part from Marinda to Masi- 

 kora, L. ruficaudata ranges, and in the same section at Ambulicata, 

 L. globiceps is found. It will be seen that several of the species are 



