82 



CHAPTER X. 



LEMURID^ — FAUNA OF MADAGASCAR. 



This singular and interesting group of species is confined to the African and Indian districts, 

 and none of the true Lemurs, or Makis, have hitherto been found beyond the limits of Madagascar 

 and the Commoro Islands. The Louis, the Nycticebus, and Tarsius, represent them in Ceylon, 

 Sumatra, and the Indian Archipelago ; and one species (Nycticebus Javaxicus, Geoff.), a slow 

 nocturnal animal, has an extensive range, extending from Bengal to Sumatra, Java, and Siam. 

 The Galagos are entirely confined to the continent of Africa. A considerable number of species 

 is now known, forty-three having been described by Dr. J. E. Gray, in his monograph of the 

 Family.* In it he enumerates the whole of the species of this family which have been dis- 

 covered up to this date. Their numbers and localities are as follow: — 



Several admirable additions have been made to our knowledge of this family and its allies 

 within the last few years. In addition to Dr. Gray's monograph, Mr. St. George Mivart has given 

 an excellent paper on their dentition and classification, f and I have adopted his arrangement 

 in the list of species in the Appsndix. He divides them into the Indrisin.e, Lemurin^e, Nycti- 

 CEBiN.E and Galagin.e, and includes Tarsius and Cheiromys in the order, making separate 

 sections for them. Professor Huxley has also given a valuable monographic description of a 

 new species of this family, Arctocebus Calabariensis, from Old Calabar.J 



The possession by Madagascar of so many species of these remarkable animals naturally leads one 

 to speculate upon the circumstances to which this specialty is due. 



That country is distinguished not only by the peculiar endemic types which it possesses, but, 

 perhaps, even moi'e so, by the absence of other forms, which we might naturally think that it ought to 



* Gray in "Zuol. Soc. Proc." 21 April, 1S63. 

 r "Proc. Zool. Soc." Nov. 1864, p. (ill. 



% " Proc. Zool. Soc." 1864, p. 314. 



