2l6 



APES, MONKEYS, AND LEMURS 



the male ; the difference in the heads of the two forms being shown in the figure on 

 p. 210. The female of this lemur was described by Dr. Gray, and has reddish feet. 



THE RUFFED LEMUR (Lemur varius) 



The last, and at the same time the largest, of the true lemurs is the ruffed 

 lemur, which inhabits the northeast coast of Madagascar. As its name implies, it 

 is remarkable for the extraordinary individual variation in the color of the fur ; such 

 variations being apparently independent of sex. Frequently the color is a mixture 

 of black and white, disposed in patches on different parts of the body, but occasion- 

 ally white individuals are met with. Other individuals are, however, of a nearly 



THE RUFFED I.EMUR. 

 (One-seventh natural size.) 



uniform reddish-brown color ; this variety having been regarded as a distinct 

 species, under the name of the red lemur (L. ruber). 



A specimen of the red variety in the Menagerie of the London Zoological Society 

 had the upper surface of the body of a bright rufous brown, while the under parts 

 were of a deep black. The reddish area included the sides of the face, ears, back, 

 and flanks, and the outer surfaces of the limbs ; while the black embraced the fore- 

 head and face, the throat, chest, and abdomen, the inner surfaces of the limbs, and 

 the hands and feet, with the exception of a narrow stripe of white across their upper 

 surface. On the back of the neck there was a large white patch. The length of 

 the head and body of this animal was two feet, and that of the tail somewhat more. 



