152 EXTINCT AND VANISHING MAMMALS 



Mission Zoologique Franco-Anglo-Americaine of 1929-31 (Dela- 

 cour, 1932, p. 220) . 



General color white; chest washed with brown; crown black (A. 

 Milne Edwards, 1871, p. 224). Similar in size to P. v. verreauxi; 

 forehead, head, and cheeks varying from dark blackish brown to 

 reddish gray; nape and remaining upper parts white, more or less 

 washed with rufous on the limbs and at the base of the tail; a gray 

 or brown spot on the nape ; tail and hands white ; under parts vary- 

 ing from light rufous to very dark rufous-brown (Milne Edwards 

 and Grandidier, 1876, pp. 318-319). Total length, 3 feet 5 inches; 

 tail, 21 inches (Schlegel, 1876, p. 294) . 



This Sifaka inhabits the Boeny country, which is comprised be- 

 tween the sea on the north, the Betsiboka River on the east, and 

 the Manzaray [Mahavavy] River on the west. In the south some 

 were killed by Crossley not far from the great forest of Manerinerina, 

 where he secured a large number of Decken's Sifaka. (Milne Ed- 

 wards and Grandidier, 1876, p. 319.) 



Lorenz-Liburnau (1898, p. 453) records 4 specimens from Antema 

 and 21 from Kandani. 



A small band was seen in 1906 on the west side of the Betsiboka 

 River opposite Marovoay, and two specimens were collected in 1912 

 near the coast between the Bay of Bombetoka and the Mahavavy 

 River. It is not rare along this part of the coast, and it is very 

 common in the great forests on the Boeny Mountains. It does not 

 seem to occur east of the Betsiboka or west of the Mahavavy River. 

 (Kaudern, 1915, p. 6, map, p. 5.) 



Decken's Sifaka. Propitheque de Decken (Fr.) 



PROPITHECUS VERREAUXI DECKENII Peters 



Propithecus Deckenii Peters, Monatsb. Preuss. Akad. Wiss. Berlin 1870, p. 421, 

 1871. ("Kanatzi [=Kanatsy], im 18 s. Br. an der Westkiiste von 

 Madagaskar" (Peters, 1869, p. 4).) 



FIGS.: Peters, 1869, pi. 1 (as P. diadema) ; Milne Edwards and Grandidier, 

 18756, pi. 5. 



This is still a common animal in western Madagascar. 



The (immature?) type female is described by Peters (1871, p. 

 421) as having the hands and head yellowish white like the rest of 

 the body; lumbar region and sides washed with gray; face black, 

 with a whitish spot on the ridge of the snout; tail as long as, or 

 longer than, the head and body. Milne Edwards and Grandidier 

 add (1876, pp. 313-314) that adults have a little black diadem in 

 front of the white crown; upper chest bright rufous; rest of under 

 parts reddish white ; a tawny spot at the base of the white tail. Total 

 length 42 inches, of which the tail occupies half (Schlegel, 1876, 

 p. 295). 



