530 



THE SIMl^ OP THE OLD WORLD 



Haridei Lemur. 



as night descends upon the earth. Then the loris, who during 

 the day have sh^pt clinging to a branch, prowl among the 

 forest- boughs in quest of food. Nothing can escape the scru- 

 tiny of their large glaring eyes ; and 

 when they have marked their victim, 

 they cautiously and noiselessly approach 

 till it is within their grasp. The Grala- 

 gos have at night all the activity of 

 birds, hopping from bough to bough on 

 their hind limbs only. They watch the insects flitting among 

 the leaves, listen to the fluttering of the moth as it darts 

 through the air, lie in wait for it, and spring with the 

 rapidity of an arrow, seldom missing their prize, which is 

 caught by the hands. They make nests in the branches of 

 trees, and cover a bed with grass and leaves for their little 

 ones. The tarsii leap about two feet at a spring, and feed 

 chiefly on lizards, holding their prey in their fore-hands, 

 while they rest on their haunches. 



