16 



KNOWLEDGE 



[January 2, 1893. 



of som3 members of the family being mistaken for sloths) ; 

 but the distinct geographical distribution of the two 

 groups renders it unlikely that any confusion is likely to 

 arise between them. The nearest relations of the lemurs 

 are undoubtedly the monkeys, and most naturalists in 

 this country are now agreed in regarding the former as 

 representing a primitive group of the order {Pi-iwates) 

 which includes the latter. Lemurs miy always be dis- 

 tinguished from monkeys and apes by certain features in 

 their skulls, as well as by several peculiarities in their 

 internal structure ; but as these require a certain amount 

 of anatomical knowledge for their proper comprehension, 

 we must ask our readers to take it ou trust that such 

 differences do exist. Externally lemurs differ from ordi- 

 nary monkeys by their more or less fox-like and immobile 

 countenances, but smce the marmosets of South America 

 (which are a lowly type of monkey) resemble them in this 

 respect, this character does not afford an absolute distinc- 

 tion between the two groups. All lemurs are further 

 characterized by having the second toe terminating in a 

 long pointed claw, as shown in the right hand lower figure 

 of our first illustration, whereas in ordinary monkeys the 

 same toe has a flattened nail. Unfortunately, however, 

 the marmosets have also a pointed claw ou the toe in 

 question, so that this character does not afford an absolute 

 point of distinction between the two. On examining 

 the upper teeth of the lemurs it will, however, be found 

 that, except in the aye-aye of Madagascar, the first pair 

 of incisor or front teeth are separated from one another in 

 the middle line by a distinct gap, whereas in all monkeys 

 they are, as in ourselves, in contact. Now as the aye-aye 

 difl'ers from all monkeys in having its first upper incisors 

 of the chisel-like form characteristic of rodents (rats, 

 beavers, &c.), the upper front teeth of the lemurs will serve 

 to distinguish them absolutely from the whole of the 

 monkeys. 



In appearance the various kinds of lemurs differ greatly 

 fi-om one another, some of them looking not unlike monkeys ; 

 while others, as the one represented in Fig. 1, are charac- 

 terized by their long and slender limbs, enormous eyes, 

 and general ghostly form. Then, again, while some of 

 them are furnished with long tails, others are destitute of 

 these appendages ; and the common cat-lemur of Mada- 

 gascar is distinguished from all the rest by the bold alter- 

 nating rings of black and white with which the tail is 

 ornamented. The last-named species is further peculiar in 

 linng chiefly among rocks, whereas the others are arboreal 

 and mainly nocturnal in their habits. It is from these 

 nocturnal habits, coupled with the large eyes, ghostly 

 appearance, and stealthy movements, characteristic of many 

 of the species, that Linnsus was induced to propose the 

 name of lemurs (from the Latin term for evil spirits) for 

 this group of animals — a name which, in the absence of 

 any vernacular title, has been adopted as their ordinary 

 designation. 



None of the lemurs are of large size, the length of the 

 head and body in the largest species being only about two 

 feet, and some of them are not larger than rats. They are 

 all excellent climbers, and the majority spend the day sleep- 

 ing either in the hole of a tree, in a specially constructed 

 nest, or rolled up in a ball after the manner shown in our 

 first illustration. Their food consists of leaves and fruits, 

 l)irds and the eggs, reptiles and insects, and occasionally 

 honey or sugar-cane ; and most of them spend the whole of 

 their time in trees, rarely, if ever, descending to the ground. 

 Some of the larger species inhabiting Madagascar are, how- 

 ever, an exception in this respect, as well as in their diurnal 

 habits, and they may sometimes be observed in numbers 

 jumping across the plains from wood to wood in their own 



peculiar fashion, when it is necessary to seek fresh food. 

 From the structure of their brains and other parts of their 

 organization, it is evident that the lemurs hold a very 

 low place in the mammalian class, although their near 

 relatives, the monkeys and apes, occupy the highest 

 position. It is probable, indeed, that the modern lemurs 

 are the descendants of the ancient ancestral stock from 

 which monkeys have originated, and since they themselves 

 are also nearly related to the so-called insectivores (shrews, 

 moles, hedgehogs, &c.), while the latter may have been 

 directly descended from marsupials (opossums, &e.), we 

 see how very close is the connection bdtweeu the very 

 highast and the very lowest representatives of the 

 mimm.xUan class. TUe low position of the lemurs in 

 the zoological scale is in harmony with their antiquity 

 and their peculiar geographical distribution, aud it is note- 

 worthy that both m Madagascar aud in Africa lemurs are 

 accompanied by certain insectivores of a very low degree 

 of organization, and unlike those found in any other part 

 of the world. 



The limits of this article render our notice of the various 

 kinds of lemurs necessarily very brief, aud our chief 

 attention will be directed to some of the more peculiar and 

 interesting forms. Among the Madagascar lemurs are 

 included a group known as indris, or, in the vernacular, 

 sifakas, and coutaining the largest of all these animals. 

 These sifakas are distinguished by the circumstance that all 

 the toes of the foot, except the first, are united together at 

 their bases ; aud they are further characterized by their 

 parti-coloured fur, in which white, black, and various 

 shades of brown and orange predominate. Most of them 

 have long tails, but in one species this appendage is 

 represented by a mere stump. They live in small parties 

 in the woods of Madagascar, and feed entirely upon 

 vegetable substances. By the aid of their powerful limbs 

 they are able to take enormous flying leaps — sometimes as 

 much as thirty feet in length — from tree to tree, and when 

 passing from one clump of trees to another on the ground 

 they hop ou their hind limbs, with their arms raised above 

 their heads, in a series of short jumps, when they are said 

 to present tho most ludicrous and grotesque appearance. 

 They are largely diurnal in their habits, although sleeping 

 during the heat of the day. 



The true lemurs, which are likewise confined to Mada- 

 gascar and some of the adjacent Comoro islands, differ 

 from the sifakas in having thirty-six in place of thirty 

 teeth, by their perfectly free toes, and their less elongated 

 hind limbs. They all have long tails, and the best known 

 species is the above-mentioned cat, or ring-tailed lemur, 

 easily recognized by the feature from which it derives its 

 second name. This animal, which is often exhibited in 

 menageries, is about the size of a domestic cat, and is 

 peculiar in frequenting rocks rather than trees, in at least 

 certain districts in Madagascar. The black lemur, in which 

 the male is black and the female red, is a nearly allied 

 species ; and there are also several others. The females of 

 these lemurs have a peculiar habit of carrying their young 

 clinging to the under surface of their body, with the head 

 on one side and the tail on the other ; but this strange 

 position is only maintained for a certain time, after which 

 the young creature mounts upon its parent's back, where 

 it remains until able to shift for itself. 



A third group is formed by the galagos, which differ 

 from the true lemurs in having two of the bones of the ankle 

 greatly elongated, so as to make this segment of the limb 

 much longer than ordinary. They all have long aud bushy 

 tails, and are mostly of small size, some of them being 

 even smaller than a rat. The galagos are divided into two 

 groups — one confined to Madagascar and the other to Africa. 



