42 THE INDEI AND THE TAESIER. 



Another curious inhabitant of Madagascar is the Indri, or Avaht, 

 a creature that has sometimes been considered one of the lemurs, and 

 placed among them by systematic naturalists. From the curled and 

 woolly hair with which the body is covered it derives its name of 

 "Laniger," or " woolbearer." Just over the loins and partly down 

 the flanks the soft wool-like hair takes a firmer curl than is found to 

 be the case in any other part of the body or limbs. It is but a small 

 animal, the length of its head and body being only a foot, and its tail 

 Dine inches. The general color of the fur is a lightish brown, with a 

 white stripe on the back of the thigh, and a tinge of chestnut in the 

 tail. In some individuals a rusty red, mingled with a yellow hue, takes 

 the place of^he brown ; and in all the under parts are lighter than the 

 upper. Its face is black and the eyes are gray, with a greenish light 

 playing through their large orbs. 



The name " Indri " is a native word, signifying, it is said, " man of 

 the woods." Its voice is not very powerful, but it can be heard at some 

 distance. It is of a melancholy, wailing character, and has beeu likened 

 to the cry of a child. 



There are two animals which bear a close resemblance to each other, 

 namely, the Galago of Madagascar and the Tarsier. The ears of the 

 latter, however, are not so large as those of the Galago, and the tail is 

 less thickly covered with fur, being almost devoid of hair, except at 

 its extremity, where it forms a small tuft. The hands are of extraor- 

 dinary length, in proportion to the size of the creature. This peculi- 

 arity is caused by a considerable elongation of the bones composing the 

 "tarsus," or back of the hands and feet, and has earned for the animal 

 the title of Tarsier. This peculiarity is more strongly developed in 

 the hinder than in the fore-paws. 



The color of the Tarsier is a grayish brown, with slight olive-tint 

 washed over the body. A stripe of deeper color surrounds the back 

 of the head, and the face and forehead are of a warmer brown than 

 the body and limbs. It is a native of Borneo, Celebes, the Philippine 

 Islands, and Banca. From the latter locality it is sometimes called 

 the Banca Tarsier. Another of the titles by which it is known is the 



It is a tree-inhabiting animal, and skips among the branches with 

 little quick leaps that have been likened to the hoppings of a frog. In 

 order to give the little creature a firmer hold of the boughs about which 

 it is constantly leaping, the palms of the hands are furnished with sev- 

 eral cushions. The backs of the hands are covered with soft, downy 

 fur, resembling the hair with which the tail is furnished. Excepting 

 on the hands and tail, the fur is very thic k and of a woolly character, 

 but at the root of the tail and at the wrists and ankles it suddenly 

 changes to the short downy covering. 



