MONKEYS. 41 



with the monkeys, and which in revised arrangements of the quadru- 

 ped group will probably receive a different position in that group, and 

 be ranked with lower forms than their present associates. These 

 democrats of the monkey-tribe thus alluded to, are popularly known 

 as " Lemurs " or " Half- Apes," whilst the African species are often 

 named " Madagascar Cats " so feline is the aspect of their forms. A 

 glance at the lemur-cages in the monkey-house will show that the latter 

 cognomen has not been misapplied. The lemurs constitute the section 

 of the monkey-group, known to naturalists as the Strepsirhina a name 

 readily enough translated into the exact English equivalent of " twisted 

 nostrils." Each of the three main groups of monkeys possesses a 

 well-marked geographical range. The lemurs are thus limited to the 

 Old World, and are limited in their distribution to Madagascar (as 

 their headquarters), Southern Africa, and Eastern Asia. As they exist 

 to-day, the naturalist notes that they merely represent the detached 

 survivals of a once widely-distributed race of animals. In their struc- 

 ture there are to be found very clear traces of affinity with the mole, 

 shrew, and hedgehog order (Insectivora), and with the rat order 

 (Rodentia) as well. The lemurs walk habitually on their four legs, 

 and their skin is furry or woolly ; the body-covering, in this respect, 

 exhibiting a decided variation from that seen in the typical monkeys. 

 No lemur has the "cheek-pouches," seen so familiarly in many 

 monkeys such as the "Bonnet monkey," in which food can be 

 stored. The aspect of a greedy " Bonnet," with its stuffed " cheek- 

 pouches," forcibly reminds the spectator of an unfortunate patient 

 suffering from toothache in each jaw, and presenting the usual 

 swollen addenda of that distressing malady. Again, the lemurs do 

 not exhibit any of those curious bare patches of skin, named 

 " callosities," or " seat-pads," and which are so frequently seen in the 

 Old World monkeys. Their fore-limbs exceed the hind-limbs in 

 length, and the great-toes are always " opposable " to their neighbour 

 digits ; that is, can be utilised for hand-like functions. The second 

 toe has a claw-like nail ; and the fourth digit, both in hand and foot, 

 is longer than its neighbours. In none of the lemurs do we find 

 the cavities known as " air- sacs," so well developed in many of the 

 monkeys, and by means of which the resonance of the voice is so 

 largely increased. The bones of the face are also prolonged to a 

 greater extent than in other monkeys. A distinctively human cha- 

 racteristic is that seen in the fact that the brain overshadows the face, 

 which is in turn shortened, and not prolonged outwards as in the 

 lower animals. We see the tendency towards face-prolongation in 

 the lower races of mankind, when we compare their skull- conforma- 

 tion with that seen in the higher races. And in the ape-tribe this 

 distinction is also apparent ; the higher monkeys possessing shortened 

 facial bones as compared with the lower forms. In the lemurs, the 



