THE RING-TAILED LEMUR 19 



The young ring-tailed lemur is very much darker 

 than its parents. A very small male specimen (No. 

 3755A) preserved in the Royal College of Surgeons' 

 Museum is blackish brown all over, even the future 

 pale areas (such as the rings encircling the eyes) 

 being but little lighter than the rest ; the grey on the 

 face is, however, recognisable, and the rings on the 

 tail have appeared. For the first two months the 

 youngster clings underneath its mother ; it then 

 transfers itself to her back, but at four months begins 

 to leave its parent for short excursions, returning to 

 her if disturbed. At about five months old it is half 

 grown and is partly weaned ; the fur is then notice- 

 ably lighter than at birth. The ring-tailed lemur has 

 bred in this country, a young one having been born 

 on September 26th, 1905, of parents which had been 

 allowed some degree of semi-liberty. A second 

 example, which the writer has seen, was born in 

 May, 1907, in the Manchester Zoological Gardens. 



