178 



FAMILY LEMURID.E. POTTO, TARSIUS. 



FIG. 81. HAND OF POTTO. 



plaintive drawling cry, which somewhat resembles that of the 

 American Sloths. Several other genera of Lemurine animals 

 are found in Africa and the Indian Archipelago : of these we 

 may mention the Perodictlcus or Potto, which is distinguished 



by the absence of the first- 

 finger of the hands (Fig. 81) ; 

 the Tarsius, or Malmag, in 

 which we find the bones of the 

 tarsus very much elongated, 

 and the hind-legs resting only 

 upon the points of the toes, 

 as shown in Fig. 82 ; and 

 the Otolicnus or Galago, which, 

 with the same peculiarity, 

 combines the large mem- 

 branous ears of the Bats, 

 which double down when the 

 animal is at rest. All these are nocturnal in their habits, and 

 feed partly upon fruits, partly upon insects, and small mammals, 

 birds, or reptiles. The teeth of the 

 Tarsiers present several peculiarities, 

 which are interesting as showing the 

 tendency to irregularity in this re- 

 spect, in the aberrant forms of this 

 family; of which tendency, a very 

 striking example will be presently 

 noticed. The upper canines are very 

 small; and the middle incisors are 

 of great length and resemble canines ; 

 the lower incisors are only two in 

 number, and have more of the ordi- 

 nary form and direction. 



163. To the family of Lemurs we 

 are probably to refer a very remark- Fio.sa.-FooT OF THE MALMAG. 

 able animal, the Galeopithecus, or Flying Lemur, sometimes 

 termed the Colugo ; a native of the Molluccas, Philippines, and 

 other islands of the Indian Archipelago. Its chief peculiarity 



