THE SLOW LEMURS, OR LORIS 



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The name loris, by which all the slow lemurs are commonly designated, is de- 

 rived from the Dutch word Loeris, meaning a clown, and appears to have been ap- 

 plied to these animals by the Dutch colonists of the Bast Indian islands. To the 

 natives of India the slow loris is known either by the name Sharmindi billi, "bash- 

 ful cat," or Lajjar banar, "bashful monkey." It is an animal about the size of a 

 cat ; different individuals or races varying considerably in size, so that while some 

 specimens do not measure more than thirteen inches in total length, others may 

 reach as much as fifteen inches, or even more. Its proportions are thick and clumsy ; 

 the head being broad and flat, with a slightly projecting and pointed muzzle. The 



THE COMMON 



(Two-fifths natural size.) 



large eyes are perfectly circular, and their pupils can be completely closed by the 

 gradual contraction of the iris, which opens from above and below, so that when the 

 pupil is half concealed it takes the form of a transverse slit. The ears are short, 

 rounded, and partly buried in the fur ; and are, thus, very different from those of 

 the galagos. The hind-limbs are only slightly longer than the others. With the 

 exception of the muzzle, and the hands and feet, the whole of the body is covered 

 with a thick coat of very close and somewhat long woolly fur. 



