688 



PRIM A TES 



they make the woods resound with their loud cries. They feed 

 not only on fruits and buds, but also on eggs, young birds, 

 and insects. When at rest or sleeping they generally coil 

 their long, bushy tails around their bodies, apparently for the 

 sake of the warmth it affords. They have either one or two 

 young ones at a birth, which are at first nearly naked, and are 



FIG. 328. The Ring-tailed Lemur (Lemur catta). 



carried about, hanging close to and almost concealed by the hair of 

 the mother's belly. After a while they change their position and 

 mount upon the mother's back, where they are carried about until 

 they are able to climb and leap by themselves. Though no member 

 of the Indrisince has as yet lived long enough in captivity to be 

 brought alive to Europe, various species of Lemurince are commonly 

 seen in menageries, and often breed in England. They present a 

 great tendency to variation in their colouring, in consequence of 

 which many nominal species have been made. The most distinct, and 

 at the same time most beautiful, is the Ring-tailed Lemur (L. catta, 



