THE SLOW LEMURS. IO9 



appendage, gray at the roots, is black at the tip. The eyes have the iris 

 black. 



Both species are found on the West side of Madagascar. The ani- 

 mals prefer as their abodes hollow trees with two openings, especially if 

 also inhabited by bees. They are much more active than the ordinary 

 Lemur, and their cry is a " kaka kaka ka." 



The curious animal, which is known by the name of the DiADEM 

 Lemur, belongs rather to the Indris than to the Lemurs, but it has been 

 placed by Mr. Bennett in a separate genus, which he names Proi'ITHecus. 

 The shoulders and upper part of the back are of a sooty tint, the head 

 darker, the hindquarters pale-brown, the belly nearly white, the paws 

 almost black, the tail nearly white at the tip. The thumbs of the hind- 

 limbs are disproportionately developed, and the face is not so long as in 

 the true Lemurs; the round, tipped ears are hidden in bushy hair, which 

 surrounds the head. The species described is called the Propithccus 

 diadcma, and seems to be the same as the Indris (or Lechanotus) mitratus. 



The species of the Lamirida already mentioned belong exclusively to 

 that strange African Island, Madagascar. The next sub-family, the Nycti- 

 cebi?i(g, have a more extensive range. 



VII.— GENUS NYCTICEBUS. 



The Slov^^ Lemurs (Plate III) are found from East Bengal to China, 

 Borneo, and Java. Three species are known. These rare denizens of the 

 forests have not been much observed in their life of freedom, but they have 

 been repeatedly brought to Europe. They creep very slowly, and sel- 

 dom take more than two steps erect ; even in climbing, their slowness is 

 remarkable. By day their eyes lose their lustre, but they see admirably 

 by night. Their hearing is very acute; the slightest motion of a beetle 

 wakens them from their sleep. 



THE KAKANG. 



The Slow-paced Lemur, Nyctkcbus tardigradus, called by the natives 

 the Kakang, has a fur of a woolly te.xture, and of a chestnut tinge. A 

 dark stripe surrounds the eyes, ears, and back of the head, reaching to 

 the corners of the mouth, and running thence along the entire length 



