208 APES, MONKEYS, AND LEMURS 



Such are the colors of the typical form of this species. In the moist regions 

 of the south of Madagascar there is, however, a nearly or quite white race of this 

 lemur, while in the dry regions of the north there is a black race ; in each case 

 intermediate forms occurring which connect these varieties with the ordinary type. 



The diademed sifaka inhabits the narrow strip of forest-land extending along 

 the whole length of the eastern coast of Madagascar, and bordering the chain of 

 granite and slaty mountains which dips down towards the sea on the east, and is 

 the cause of almost daily rain. It is where this chain almost dies out at the north- 

 ern end of the island that the black race occurs. 



This and the next species, which are smaller than the last, and are 



those which are known to the natives as the sifakas, are restricted to 

 Sifaka 



the western and southern coasts of Madagascar. Here they are only 



found in the thick forests which here and there occur among the desolate solitudes 

 of the western and southern sides of the island, regions of sandy plains where 

 fertilizing rains but seldom occur. 



The fur of P. verreauxi (of which the head is figured on p. 206) is woolly 

 and soft to the touch ; its color being typically white with a faint tinge of yellow. 

 The summit and hinder part of the head are, however, often of a maroon color, 

 and more rarely reddish, while some individuals show more or less marked gray 

 tints in various regions of the body. In no case, however, does the brown of the 

 head ever extend on to the neck and back, as it does in the diademed species. 

 There are two well-marked varieties of this species, one being pure white, with the 

 exception of patches of bright red on the arms and thighs. 



A writer relates how he once had for some time two females and their young 

 of this species in a cage. ' ' Nothing was more touching than to see these poor 

 mothers holding their young lying in their arms. At the least movement, the 

 young sifaka left its mother's breast and leaped upon her back, where with its hands 

 resting on her shoulders, and its feet buried in her fur, it took so firm a grasp that 

 it was impossible to make it leave go ; and one could thus readily understand how 

 that, whatever leaps the mother might take, the offspring would never be unseated." 

 The last species of the propitheques (P. coronatus) agrees in size 

 with the preceding, to which it is closely allied. It has, indeed, a 



crest of long blackish hairs on the forehead, from which it derives its 

 name ; but since a similar crest is found in some individuals of Verreaux's sifaka, 

 this cannot be taken as the ground for specific distinction. Neither can its colora- 

 tion, peculiar though it be, form the distinction, since the difference in this respect 

 from the typical form of the latter species is scarcely if at all greater than that 

 occurring between the various races included under that heading. 



It is, indeed, mainly from the characteristics of the skull that the crowned 

 sifaka is ranked as a distinct species. Thus the skull is altogether larger than that 

 of the preceding species in addition to which it has a proportionately larger muzzle ; 

 while there are other distinctive features, into the consideration of which it would 

 be beyond the scope of the present work to enter. 



In color, the forehead, the crown of the head, and the cheeks are blackish 

 brown ; in bold contrast to which stands out the white fur with which the ears are 



