LEMURID& 



68? 



its habits, being quite nocturnal, and not associating in small troops, 

 but being ahvays met with either alone or in pairs. It is very 

 slow in its movements, and rarely descends to the ground, but 

 when it does it walks upright like the other Indrisince. It is found 

 throughout the forests which clothe the mountains on the east coast 

 of Madagascar, and also in a limited district on the north-west 

 coast, the specimens from the latter locality being of smaller size 

 and rather different in colour. 



Subfamily Lemurinse. The dentition in the adult consists of 

 thirty-six teeth, which, as usually enumerated, are i f , c ^, p f , m f . 

 In the fore part of the lower jaw are on each side three elongated, 

 compressed, procumbent teeth, of which the outer, usually con- 

 sidered the homologue of the canine, is larger than the others. All 

 the forms have long tails. Hind limbs not of the same dispropor- 

 tionate size as in the last group ; and the caecum much less devel- 

 oped. Tarsus but slightly elongated, the calcaneum being always 

 less than one-fourth the length of the tibia. Toes of the hind feet 

 free to the base. Habitat, Madagascar, and some of the adjacent 

 Comoro Islands. 



This group contains the typical Lemurs, or rather those to 

 which the term is now chiefly restricted. Two somewhat aberrant 

 members make it necessary to divide it into three genera. 



Lemur. 1 Upper incisors separated by an interval in the middle, 

 and not in contact with each other or the canine, in front of which 

 they are both placed. Muzzle elongated. Ears conspicuous and 

 tufted. Mammae two, pectoral. Vertebrae : C 7, D 12, L 7 (or D 

 13, L 6), S 3, C 27. 



Animals much about the size of a common Cat, with Fox-like 

 faces, soft thick fur, and long tails well clothed with hair. Not 

 having the same 

 disproportionate 

 size of the limbs 

 as the last group, 

 they are much 

 more quadru- 

 pedal in their 

 actions, walking 

 on the ground 

 or running along 

 the branches of 

 trees on all four 

 feet, but also 

 jumping with 



marvellous agility. They are gregarious, living in small troops, 



are diurnal in their habits, but most active towards evening, when 



1 Linn. Syst. Nat. 12th ed. vol. i. p. 44 (1766). 



Fio. 327. Skull of Ring-tailed Lemur (Lemur catta). x J. we, 

 Upper canine ; Ic, lower canine ; pm, premolars ; TO, molars. 



