390 



of jtatttrol 



greater part of the monkeys and of man. 

 The Loris differs from the other genera of 

 this family in having four incisors in the 

 upper jaw, placed in pairs with a vacant 

 space between, and six in the lower, directed 

 obliquely forwards ; canines of moderate 



(LORIS ORA.CILIS.) 



size ; twelve molars above and ten below ; 

 a short rounded head, and little or no tail. 

 * * * * In addition to these primary cha- 

 racters, the Loris are distinguished by large 

 prominent eyes, placed in front of the head 

 and at no great distance from each other ; 

 short ears, scarcely rising through the hair 

 with which they are invested, a rough 

 tongue ; nostrils projecting beyond the 

 mouth and surrounded by a naked muzzle ; 

 and thumbs widely separated from the fin- 

 gers, both on the fore and hinder hands." 



Little is known of the habits of the Loris 

 in a state of nature ; but the following de- 

 scription of one in confinement is from the 

 pen of Sir W. Jones : " In his manners he 

 was for the most part gentle, except in the 

 cold season, when his temper seemed wholly 

 changed : and his Creator, who made him 

 so sensible of cold, to which he must often 

 have been exposed even in his native forests, 

 gave him, probably for that reason, his thick 

 fur, which we rarely see on animals in these 

 tropical climates : to me, who not only con- 

 stantly fed him, but bathed him twice a week 

 in water accommodated to the seasons, and 

 whom he clearly distinguished from others, 

 he was at all times grateful ; but when I 

 disturbed him in winter, he was usually in- 

 dignant, and seemed to reproach me with 

 the uneasiness which he felt, though no pos- 

 sible precautions had been omitted to keep 

 him in a proper degree of warmth. * * * * 

 From half an hour after sunrise to half an 

 hour before sunset he slept without inter- 

 mission, rolled up like a hedgehog ; and, as 

 soon as he awoke, he began to prepare him- 

 self for the labours of his approaching day, 

 licking and dressing himself like a cat, an 

 operation which the flexibility of his neck 

 and limbs enabled him to perform very com- 

 pletely : he was then ready for a slight 



breakfast, after which he commonly took a 

 short nap ; but when the sun was quite set, 

 he recovered all his vivacity. His ordinary 

 food was the sweet fruit of this country ; 

 plantains always, and mangoes during the 

 season ; but he refused peaches, and was not 

 fond of mulberries, or even of guaiavas : 

 milk he lapped eagerly, but was contented 

 with plain water. In general he was not 

 voracious, but never appeared satiated with 

 grasshoppers, and passed the whole night, 

 while the hot season lasted, in prowling for 

 them. 



LORY. A name given to several birds 

 of the Parrot tribe, from their frequently 

 repeating the word. They are remarkable 

 for their brilliant colours, dense soft plumage, 

 and comparatively feeble beaks. They are 



(LORIU9 PHILIPPINKNSIS.) 



very active and gay, even in captivity. They 

 are found for the most part in the Moluccas, 

 and are held in great estimation in some 

 parts of the East. Many of the species are 

 very docile and familiar. The following 

 are of great beauty. 



The COLLARED LORY. ( Lorius domi- 

 ceUa.) This species is about the size of a 

 common pigeon ; general colour of the body 

 scarlet ; the wings grass green, with the 

 ridge of the shoulders blue, and the tops of 

 the quill feathers rather dusky : across the 

 breast is a moderately broad yellow bar, 

 sometimes waved or intermixed with a 

 portion of red ; thighs violet-blue ; crown of 

 the head violet-black ; bill deep yellow ; 

 under coverts of the wings violet-blue ; and 

 the under surface of the tail inclining to 

 purple. It is lively, gay, and remarkable 

 for its distinctness of utterance. 



CERAM LORY. 



Size 



(Lorius garrulus.) 



of the preceding ; colour scarlet, with deep 

 grass-green wings and thighs : shoulder tips 

 yellow : tips of the wings inclining to violet- 

 brown : tail generally of the same scarlet 

 colour with the rest of the plumage for about 

 half its length, the remainder blue, but the 

 two middle tail-feathers of a green hue. 



SCARLET LORY. (Lorius cceruleatus.) 

 The head, neck, body, and coverts of the 

 tail are of a shining s-jarlet hue, except the 

 j feathers on the lower part of the neck be- 

 i hind, which are tipped with yellow. The 

 1 greater quills of the wings are a dark green, 



