THE RING-TAILED LEMUR. 



In these days of extended zoological knowledge, 

 when Science announces the discovery of some new 

 animal almost every week, one may well draw 

 attention to certain interesting species which, by no 

 means rare in their own country, are often imported 

 alive into this one. The bush baby or Maholi 

 galago, with its big eyes and ears ; the serval cat, 

 long-legged and short-headed; the fennec fox, tiny 

 and timid; the Prevost squirrel, smartly tricoloured 

 in red, white, and black; the quaint jerboa, and many 

 others, merit far more attention than they have 

 hitherto received. From the quaintness of its 

 exterior and the gentleness of its disposition these 

 remarks apply especially to the pretty ring-tailed 

 lemur of Central Madagascar. 



The ring-tailed lemur or Madagascar cat (Lemur 

 catta) is about the size of a domestic tabby to which 

 animal, however, it bears no real relationship. The 

 nose is sharply pointed ; the eyes and ears are 

 moderately large; the face lacks the rough fringe of 

 hair found in certain of its congeners. The 

 delicately formed hands and feet are shod with 

 leathery skin, and adapted, like those of monkeys, 

 for grasping branches ; the somewhat bushy tail is 

 long, though not prehensile. The general colour of 

 this beautiful lemur is ashy or reddish grey, darker 



