913 



GALEOPITHECUS. 



GALEOPITHECUS. 



grooved on the outer side near the apex. lu their almost horizontal 

 direction there is also a resemblance. lu the number of teeth the 

 Saleopitkeei agree with the Lemurs, excepting that in the former 

 the upper canines are wanting. In both these groups of animals 

 the incisors of the lower jaw are, he observes, opposed to a 

 toothless portion of the intermaxillaries. ('Zool. Trans.,' vol. ii. 

 part 4.) 



Cuvier and others state that the Galeopitheci live on trees in the 

 islands of the Indian Archipelago, and there pursue insects, and perhaps 

 birds, as their prey : judging from the detrition of the teeth with 

 agt, he thinks that they must also feed on fruits. They have a 

 very large csccuui. In their teeth they present many analogies to the 

 Lemwida, 



Dr. Gray makes the Galeopitliecidce the fourth family of the 

 ('liiadrupedoid) Primates, and places it between the Lemuridte and 

 VerpertUionidie. (' Outline," &c., in ' Ann. of Philosophy,' 1825.) 



.Speaking of the Galeopithecus of Pallas, Sir. Swainson observes : 

 " To give its most striking character in a few words, it is a lemur, 

 with the limbs connected with a bat-like membrane, or, in other words, 

 nut-rounded by a thin skin which they support, as the framework of 

 an umbrella supports its covering. By this singular structure the 

 a.iimal is supported in the air ; yet without the power, like the bats, 

 of sustaining a continued flight. Linnaeus places this remarkable 

 g -mis with the lemurs, while every one must perceive its intimate 

 atfinity to the bate; like them, also, these bat-lemurs are nocturnal 

 and insectivorous. The mamma; are pectoral ; and they sleep sus- 

 pended by their hind legs with their heads downward. M. Geoffroy 

 St. Hilaire therefore justly considers them as the form by which the 

 lemurs and bats are connected ; while their greater resemblance to 

 the former induces us to consider Galeopithecui as one of the aberrant 

 types of the Lemuridre," among which Mr. Swainson arranges the 

 genus, in the third part of his volume, between Aoleg and Ckeiroyaleus. 

 (' Natural History and Classification of Quadrupeds,' 1835.) 



Three species have been recorded : 1. Galeopithecut rufut, Geoff., 

 Audubon (Lemur rolant, Linn.) ; 2. GaUopithecua raricyatug. Cuv., 

 Geoff. ; 3. Galeopithecut Ternatewtit, Geoff. : but the general opinion 

 seems to have been that one only, the Lemur volant of Linnaeus, had 

 been satisfactorily made out. In October, 1838, some specimens of 

 Flying Lemurs were upon the table at a meeting of the Zoological 

 Society of London ; and in reference to them Mr. Waterhouse pointed 

 out certain characters which appeared to him to indicate the existence 

 of two species in those specimens. 



He remarked that in systematic works three species of the genus 

 Galeopit/ucut are described, founded upon differences of size and 

 colour. As regards the latter character, he had never seen two speci- 

 mens which precisely agreed ; and with respect to size, the dimensions 

 given of two out of the three species are, he observed, evidently taken 

 from extremely young animals. Mr. Waterhouse then proceeded to 

 distinguish the two species on the table, and proposed for them the 

 specific names of Temmi/nckii and Philippincntit. 











d'aleojiithecus Temmmckii. 



The first and larger species measured about two feet in total length, 



and its skull was 2 inches 11J lines in length. The anterior incisor 



of the upper jaw is broad, and divided by two notches into three 



distinct lobes ; the next incisor on each side has its anterior and 



i ior margins notched ; and the first molar (or the tooth which 



'" < npies the situation of the canine) has its posterior edge distinctly 



ti'/tc hod. This tooth is separated by a narrow space, anteriorly and 



"fly, from the second incisor in front and the second molar 



Ix-liind ; the temporal ridges converge towards the occiput, near j 



NAT. HIST. DIV. VOL. II. 



which however, he observed, they are separated usually by a space of 

 about four lines. Thia is probably the Galcopithecw volans of authors ; 

 but the identity cannot be said to be certain. 



Skull of Galeopithecus Temminckii. 

 a, seen from above ; b, seen from below. (Waterhouse, ' Zool. Trans.') 



Lower Jaw and Teeth of Galeopithccta Temminckii. 



1, under side of the Lower Jaw; 2, side view of the same; 3, the three 

 foremost teeth on either side of the Upper Jaw ; 4, 5, outer and inner incisors 

 of the Lower Jaw. (Waterhouse, ' Zool. Trans.) 



The second species, 0. Philippinensis, was described by Mr. Water- 

 bouse as being usually about 20 inches in length, and its skull as 

 measuring 2 inches 7 lines in length. He observed that this species 

 may be distinguished from G. Tcmminckii by the proportionately larger 

 ears and the greater length of the hands. The skull too ho described 



