THE MOUSE-LEMURS 



219 



The hoary-headed lemur (L. caniceps} is a closely allied species, chiefly dis- 

 tinguished by having a minute rudimentary pair of front or incisor teeth in the 

 upper jaw, but further characterized by the hoary gray of the hair on the crown of 

 the head. 



THE MOUSE-LEMURS 

 Genus Chirogaleus 



With the tiny creatures known as the mouse-lemurs, we come to the first of a 

 group of two genera which differ from all the members of the lemur tribe in that 

 the bones of the upper part of the ankle are enormously elongated, thus causing the 

 whole foot to be much longer than in the preceding groups. 



The mouse-lemurs themselves are confined to Madagascar, and include the 

 smallest of the lemurs, some of them being even inferior in size to a rat. They 

 have long tails, and rather large ears, which are hairy at their base, and cannot be 

 folded upon themselves. 



The most remarkable feature connected with the mouse-lemurs, and one for a 

 knowledge of which we are indebted to the observations of Grandidier, is that they 

 are in the habit of what is generally called hibernating, or remaining dormant for a 

 portion of the year. But as their quiescent season is during the hottest and driest 

 time, the term aestivation would be more appropriate. By no means all the mouse- 

 lemurs thus hibernate ; and we may fairly presume that the species in which this 

 habit occurs are those dwelling in the more arid regions. To prepare for this pro- 

 tracted period of dormant energies, during which they maintain the heat of their 

 bodies by the consumption of their own substance, the mouse-lemurs feed so 

 vigorously that when the hot season arrives they are in an extremely fat and sleek 

 condition. Curiously enough the great accumulation of fat which then takes place 

 is mainly restricted to the region of the base of the tail ; and when they retire at 

 the close of the rainy season, during which food is extremely abundant, their tails 

 are swollen to a prodigious size. The wasting process which goes on during 

 hibernation leaves them, however, with their tails shrunk to a very small diameter. 

 In order to make themselves comfortable during their long sleep, they follow the 

 example of our own dormice, and prepare snug little nests of twigs and other sub- 

 stances ; some of their habitations being described as marvels of neat construction. 

 Their food is mainly of a vegetable nature; although this diet is largely supple- 

 mented by insects, and even small birds are said not to come amiss. Having large 

 round eyes, by which they are enabled to see small objects in the darkest nights, 

 they are in the habit of stalking nocturnal moths and beetles when settled on the 

 boughs of trees, and then rushing upon and seizing them with a final spring. 



The largest, and at the same time one of the longest known of the 



' " mouse-lemurs is the species (C. furtifer) represented on p. 220, which 



takes its name from the black streak running down the middle of the 



back, and dividing on the top of the head so as to form a distinct fork-like mark 



