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LEMURS. 



and flanks, and the outer surfaces of the limbs; while the black embraced the 

 forehead and face, the throat, chest, and abdomen, the inner surfaces of the limbs, 

 and the hands and feet, with the exception of a narrow stripe of white across their 



THE RUFFED LEMUR ( \ nat. size). 



upper surface. On the back of the neck there was a large white patch. The 

 length of the head and body of this animal was two feet, and that of the tail 

 somewhat more. 



THE GENTLE LEMUR. 

 Genus Hapalemur. 



The gentle lemur (Hapalemur griseus), like all the members of the group 

 under consideration, is an inhabitant of Madagascar, but differs so decidedly from 

 the true lemurs that it has been made the type of a distinct genus, of which 

 it is the only well-defined species. 



It may be readily distinguished from the true lemurs by its rounded head and 

 extremely short muzzle, the ears being likewise very short. A peculiar feature 

 is the presence of a small bare patch on the front surface of the fore-arm, a little 

 above the palm of the hand, which is covered with small spines. The colour is a 

 dark iron-grey, with a tinge of yellow, becoming somewhat paler on the under-parts 

 and the inner sides of the limbs. The individual hairs are black, with a reddish 

 band near their tips. 



The species differs from the true lemurs in being purely nocturnal in its habits. 

 It is chiefly found in bamboo-jungles, and subsists mainly on the young tender 



