MADAGASCAR (1) 79 
in form, except for their long muzzles, which give the face a foxy 
appearance. When one has become familiar with the many forest- 
dwelling species, which are very agile, it comes as a surprise to 
learn of the lemurs in Lake Alaotra that spend their entire lives 
in the reed-beds, where their movements are so restricted that they 
have become sluggish, and if put on open ground are unable to 
run at the speed of man. 
These interesting animals, which belong to the same genus as 
the Gentle Lemurs (Hapalemur), are known to the Sihanaka 
tribe as Bandro. Being localized and of specialized feeding habits 
they are probably a distinct species, though this has not yet been 
recognized. Their fur is short and thick, and in captivity they 
become very docile and make excellent pets. In the western reed- 
beds they are very common, but being mainly nocturnal they are 
rarely seen except by people who hunt them. Their food is com- 
posed almost entirely of reeds, particularly the cane-like bararata 
(Phragmites communis). This is felled by gnawing through the 
stem at its base, and the animal then grasps the cane with its two 
hands and tears off the outer hard covering with its teeth in order 
to get at the juicy core. Its fondness for food of a tough or fibrous 
nature was illustrated to me by one I kept in captivity. Unlike all 
the forest-dwelling lemurs, this one took no interest at all in 
banana fruit but regarded the skins as a great delicacy. It is little 
wonder that this lemur is sluggish, for it lives where its food is 
always close at hand and where there are apparently no natural 
enemies excepting, occasionally, man. In captivity it will even- 
tually get to like fruit but loves chewing young bamboo or sugar- 
cane shoots, and will even eat a certain amount of grass. 
Sometimes large areas of reeds, covering several acres and bound 
together by a mass of aquatic plants, break loose from the main 
reed-beds in times of severe storms and drift about in the centre 
of the lake for weeks. Not infrequently reed-lemurs become ma- 
rooned in this way, but as a rule their isolation is but temporary, 
for as soon as the dry season begins, the wind is less variable and 
blows strongly from the east, and as the lake takes some time to 
subside after the rainy season, these floating islands are thus blown 
westwards to their former home before they have a chance to 
establish themselves elsewhere. 
