28 Lemurs. 



which is more particularly known to sailors and 

 dealers as the " Madagascar cat." 



Among the species that are represented the 

 ruffed lemur is certainly the handsomest, as it is 

 also the largest ; indeed, it is a very handsome and 

 striking animal, with a long, thick, black-and- 

 white coat, and a grand bushy black tail ; but it is 

 neither so lively nor so amiable as some of its 

 smaller relations. The black lemur is perhaps 

 the plainest of the family no lemur can be called 

 ugly ; this species is noticeable for having the 

 sexes so dissimilar in appearance that until quite 

 recently they were considered to be specifically 

 distinct, as the male is perfectly jet black from the 

 end of his nose to the tip of his tail, while his mate 

 is of a dingy yellowish-red, with white whiskers. 



Animals of this species appear to be compara- 

 tively hardy in confinement, and several of them 

 have lived for a considerable period in the Monkey 

 House. So well, indeed, do they thrive that one 

 female has brought forth no less than seven young 

 ones since its arrival at the Gardens in the year 

 1882, the last of these, a male, having been born 

 on June 10 last. And here we may mention the 

 curious manner in which the young are carried. 

 When first born, the helpless little creature, which 

 is almost naked, clings to its mother's waist, 

 attaching itself firmly by grasping her fur with all 

 its hands, and twisting its tail tightly round her 

 in such a position that when she sits up it is hidden 

 by her legs, and so firmly is it fixed that it rides 



