THE SLOW LORIS 545 



deposit of fat formed chiefly at the root of the tail, and intended 

 to tide over the time of the creature's hibernation. But, as a 

 matter of fact, tliis peculiarity also exists in Cliirogale. Of 

 OpolemuT but two species are known, and of one of tliese, named 

 after Mr. Tliomas of tlie liritish Museum, only tliree examples are 

 in existence in museums, tliat is to say in one museum — our own 

 at South Kensington. Many of these dwarf Lemurs are exceed- 

 ingly rare. In tliis genus and in tlie last two the palate has a pair 

 of posterior fenestrae, of which there are also traces in otlier Lemurs, 

 but which are particularly large in Microcehus. This is, of course, 

 a \Yell-knowu character of the Marsupials, and also, which is more 

 important in the present connexion, of certain Insectivores. 



Sub-Fam. 4. Lorisinae. — This sub-family is tlie only one with 

 a wide distribution, and it contains, with the exception of Tarsius, 

 tlie only Asiatic members of tlie group. Correlated with its 

 wide distribution there is more divergence in anatomical characters 

 than is the case with the other sub-families of the Lemuridae. 

 Li external features all the three genera of this sub-family agree 

 in their small size, their short or entirely deficient tail, large 

 staring eyes, and the rudimentary character, or absence, of the 

 index finger, which is never provided witli a nail ; in all of them 

 the thumb diverges widely from the otlier fingers, and the great 

 toe is so divergent as to be directed backwards. In the brain 

 there is one character common to all tliree genera, and that is 

 the small length of the angular fissure. The caecum, which is 

 long, is supported by three folds, of which the median is anangious, 

 and is sometimes attached to the longer of the two lateral folds, 

 wdiich are vascular. The members of this sub-family have more 

 dorsal vertebrae than are found in other Lemurs ; the range is 

 from fourteen in Loris, to sixteen in Nycticebus. 



The genus Nycticehus contains only a single species, N. tardi- 

 gradus, though four other names have been given to supposed 

 varieties. Moreover, the genus itself has been named Stenops, as 

 also the next genus Loris. The liody of this animal is stouter than 

 that of the next to be described. Professor Mivart has pointed 

 out that, though Asiatic like the Loris, it presents more resem- 

 blances to the African 1^3tto. The index finger is small ; the 

 inner of the two incisors is smaller than the outer, but both of 

 one side are close together. They may be reduced to one on each 

 side of the upper jaw. 



VOL. X 2 N 



