ORDER PRIMATES: PRIMATES 143 



FIGS.: Buffon, Hist. Nat., vol. 13, pi. 27, 1765; Schreber, Saugthiere, vol. 1, 

 pi. 40 B, 1774; Audebert, 1800, Makis, pis. 5, 6; Gervais, Hist. Nat. Mam- 

 mif., pt. 1, pi. 10, 1854; Milne Edwards and Grandidier, 1890, pis. 123-129; 

 Forbes, 1894, vol. 1, pi. 7; Beddard, 1902, p. 542, fig. 259; Elliot, 1913, 

 vol. 1, pi. 5, lower fig. (facing p. 158) ; Kaudern, 1915, pi. 3, fig. 1. 



This lemur is apparently still common in northeastern Mada- 

 gascar. 



"Mostly white in the body; all the paws, the fore-head, the 

 tail, the insides of the thighs, a large blotch on each shoulder, and a 

 long narrow patch on the loin before the upper part of the thigh, 

 are black .... The muzzle is long and thick, the ears very short, 

 and fringed with long flowing hairs, which join the collar, or hairy 

 ruff, on the neck, cheeks, and throat." (Kerr, 1792, pp. 86-87.) 

 A color phase, described as "Lemur ruber," has a general rufous 

 color; head, hands, tail, and abdomen black; a half-collar of white 

 on top of the neck (E. Geoffroy-Saint-Hilaire, 1812, p. 159). 

 Total length 44 inches, of which the tail makes up nearly half 

 (Schlegel, 1876, p. 302). 



Schwarz (1931, p. 418) records specimens from: Tombato River; 

 Sakana, opposite the He Ste. Marie; Alumanitra Forest; Bay of 

 Antongil; and Ambatondrazaka, south of Lake Alaotra. He adds: 



"Black and white and red specimens have been collected in the 

 same place by J. Audebert in the coast region north of the Bay of 

 Antongil. Red specimens are recorded from Maroansetra, Bay of 

 Antongil; Malewo and Andranofotsy, N.E. coast, north of the Bay 

 of Antongil. . . . 



"From the material at hand it would thus appear that Lemur 

 variegatus is restricted to the forests of N.E. Madagascar. Its 

 northern limit may be about 13 30' S., its southern range has been 

 ascertained as the region of Tamatave at about 18 S. . . . On the 

 plateau Ambatondrazaka remains the only place known." 



Coquerel writes (1859, p. 462) that this animal is sacred to the 

 inhabitants of Tamatave; they say that it worships the sun and 

 prays to it every morning. 



Pollen stated (1868, p. 21) that up to that time it had been 

 observed only in the forests of the region between Tintingue, Tama- 

 tave, and Antananarivo. It was found there in considerable bands, 

 living on fruits. 



Kaudern (1915, p. 43) records specimens from west of Fenerive 

 and south of Tamatave. 



G. M. Allen (1918, p. 516) records a specimen from 100 miles west 

 of Tamatave. 



The Mission Zoologique Franco-Anglo-Americaine of 1929-31 col- 

 lected 8 specimens of variegatus and 9 of "ruber" (Delacour, 1932, 

 p. 219). 



