389 



LEMURID.E. 



LEMURID^E. 



390 



to see the object there. Before a looking-glass he shows the same 

 regard and curiosity." In most respects, the rest of Mr. Baird's 

 description agrees with those of Vosmaer and Sir W. Jones. 



M. D'Obsonville's memoir is very interesting, but offers no differ- 

 ences sufficient to justify the insertion of his account of his specimen 

 at length. The little animal, which enjoyed comparative liberty, 

 being suffered to go at large, appeared to him to be very much 

 attached. He used to caress it after giving it food ; and the marks of 

 sensibility upon the part of his favourite were, taking the end of his 

 hand and pressing it to its bosom, fixing, at the same time, its half- 

 opened eyes upon his. 



One that Pennant saw in London, slept holding fast to the wires of 

 its cage with its claws, as above described, and he states that the 

 inhabitants of Bengal call the animal Chirmundi Billi, or Bashful 

 Billy. Sir W. Jones says of it, " The Pandits know little or nothing 

 of the animal : the lower Hindoos of this province generally call it 

 Lajjiibitnar, or the Bashful Ape ; and the Mussulmans, retaining the 

 sense of the epithet, give it the absurd appellation of a cat ; but it 

 is neither a cat nor bashful; for though a Pandit, who saw my Lemur 

 by day-light, remarked that he was Lajjhlu, or modest (a word which 

 the Hindoos apply to all sensitive plants), yet he only seemed bashful, 

 while in fact he was dimeighted and drowsy ; for at night, as you 

 see by his figure, he had open eyes, and as much boldness as any of 

 the Lcmure* poetical or Linnean." 



In a state of nature there can be no doubt that its habits are, for 

 the most part, arboreal ; and that it takes its prey by night, seizing 

 that which is living, such as small birds, mice, and insects, by surprise, 

 probably whilst they are sleeping; and varying its diet by having 

 recourse to fruits. 



"As to his country," says the author last quoted, "the first of the 

 species that I saw in India was in the district of Tipra, properly 

 Tripura, whither it had been brought, like mine, from the Garrow 

 Mountains; and Dr. Anderson informs me that it is found in the woods 

 on the coast of Coromandel : another has been sent to a member of 

 our society from one of the eastern isles ; and though the Loris may 

 be a native of Silttn, yet I cannot agree with M. de Buffun that it is 

 the minute, sociable, and docile animal mentioned by Thevenot, which 

 it resembles neither in size nor disposition." 



It has been found in other parts of the peninsula of Hindustan ; 

 and in Java, Penang, and Ceylon. 



The genus Galago, Geoffrey, has the following dental formula, which 

 is generally given by author* thus : 



Incisors, - or -; canines, -^ ; molars, ^^. 

 6 6 1 1 5 5 



In the species which we select to illustrate the form, Dr. Andrew 

 Smith found the dentition as follows : 



Incisors, _ ; canines, ; false molars, - r ; 



6 1 1 1 1 



= 18 in each jaw. 



true molars, 



Skull and Teeth of Galafo Moholi. Smith. 



a, front view of ukult ; 6, back view of same ; c, lateral view ; d t front view 

 of the anterior portion of upper jaw ; e, lateral view of lower jaw. All the 

 figure: natural i/e. Smith. 



The head is rounded, muzzle short, eyes very large, ears very large. 

 Feet pentadactyle ; all the nails flat with the exception of the first 

 digit of the hind feet, which is armed with a sharp subulate claw ; 



two teats; tail very long, loose, and villous. The species are found 

 in Africa, to which Mr. Swaiuson adds India. 



a, Basal view of skull, exhibiting the teeth ; b, lower jaw. 

 doable the natural size. Smith. 



Both figures 



The habits of these creatures are arboreal. The great size of the 

 orbits will at once strike every observer. The large development of 

 the eyes requires such spacious receptacles ; and this development is 

 necessary on account of the nocturnal habits of the genus. The food 

 of these animals consists of soft fruits, and, from the structure of the 

 teeth, probably of insects also. They are fond of vegetable gum, and 

 their large ears are said to be closed when they sleep, but to be opened 

 upon their hearing the least noise. 



0. Moholi, Smith. The upper parts of the head and neck, the back, 

 the sides of the body, and the^ outer and hinder surfaces of the 

 extremities are intermediate between a pearl and yellowish-gray colour; 

 the back is finely brindled, from the dark colour of the basal portion of 

 the fur being here and there seen through the surface tints; the exire- 

 mities are of a lighter hue than the other parts enumerated, and their 

 outer and hinder surfaces are distinctly tinted with yellow ; the middle of 

 the face, the lips, the sides of the head, below and behind the eyes, 

 the chin, throat, abdomen, and the upper surface of the fingers, white; 

 inner surfaces of extremities white, tinged with yellow. Tail glossy; 

 the colour intermediate between yellowish-brown and cochineal red; 

 the fur is throughout of the game colour ; that of the other parts is a 

 dark slate-colour except at and near its surface. Ears flesh-coloured; 

 and the down, which is very sparingly scattered over their outer 

 surface, is pure white. Eyes, deep topaz yellow; the palms of the 

 bands and under surface of the fingers are of a flesh-colour tinged 

 with brown. Figure slender and elegant. Head broad, subglobular, 

 and anteriorly terminated by a short, high, and almost pointed nose. 

 Ears large, bare, and patulous, their tips rather narrow and slightly 

 rounded ; the outer margin of each ear has two faint emarginations, 

 nnd the internal or anterior surface of each is distinctly marked with 

 four or more transverse ridges ; the eyeballs and the pupils large ; 

 anterior extremities short and slender ; posterior ones long, rather 

 robust, and each is terminated by four fingers and an opposable 

 thumb, the tips of which are dilated and depressed ; the nail of the 

 forefinger of each of the hinder extremities is narrow, convex, consi- 

 derably elongated beyond the soft parts, and obtusely pointed ; all the 

 other nails both of the anterior and posterior extremities small, thin, 

 flat, roundish or ovate in form, and not extended to the points of the 

 fingers. Tail cylindrical, slender towards the base, much thicker 

 towards and at the tip, which arises from the fur being longer on 

 those parts. On the head, body, and extremities, the covering consists 

 of a very fine short woolly fur, which on the tail and the upper 

 surface of the fingers is rather harsher. Palm of the hands and under 

 surface of the fingers naked. (Smith.) Length from nose to tip of 

 :he tail, 16 inches. It is found in Southern Africa, and probably 

 Western Africa. 



The first specimens observed by Dr. Smith were upon trees close to 

 the Limpopo River, in about 25 S. lat, and from that parallel he 



