ANIMALS. 445 



animals, the longest in proportion to its size ; having nine verte- 

 brae in the loins; whereas other quadrupeds have only seven.' 

 The body appears still the longer by having no tail. In other 

 respects, it resembles those of the Maki kind ; as well in its 



tance from each other ; short ears, scarcely rising through the hair witli 

 which they are invested; a rough tongue ; nostrils projecting beyond the 

 mouth, and surrounded by a naked muzzJe ; and thumbs widely separated 

 from the fingers both on the fore and hinder hands. 



Linnaeus confounded both the well authenticated species of this group, 

 the slender Loris and the slow paced Loris, under the name of Lemur tar- 

 digradus. 



The slow-paced Lemur is an animal of small size scarcely equal to that of 

 a cat. Tlie largest individual yet noticed appears to be that seen by Pennant, 

 who states its length at no less than sixteen inches from the nose to the ex. 

 tremity of its back. Its proportions are short and thickset ; and the appa. 

 rent clumsiness of its form is much increased by the manner in which it 

 usually contracts itself into a kind of balL 



Tlie habits of this singular creature are perfectly nocturnal. It sleeps 

 throughout the whole of the day, unless when disturbed, either rolled up on 

 the floor of its cage, or more commonly suspended by its paws from the bars, 

 with its body drawn together and its head folded in upon the breast. To- 

 wards evening it rouses itself by degrees, and remains watchful during the 

 night. Its tiist care on awaking is to make itself clean by licking its fur 

 like a cat ; and its next is to satisfy its appetite. Its natural food appears to 

 consi-st of a mixture of animal and vegetable substances. The latter, espe. 

 cially the sweeter fruits, and sopped bread sprinkled with sugar have usu- 

 ally formed the principal part of the diet of those with whose history we 

 have been made acquainted ; but the smaller animals, whether mice, birds, 

 or insects, appears to be more peculiarly acceptable. In its motions, it is ex- 

 cessively slow and languid. When on the ground, its posture is constrained 

 and unnatural, and it rather drags itself along than walks. On a tree, or in 

 mounting the bars of its cage, it seems more at its ease, but still moves 

 with slow and cautious regularity. Grasping a branch or a bar in the first 

 place tightly with one of its fore paws, it gradually fixes the other, and then 

 advances its hinder hands with equal slowness and precision, never quitting' 

 to hold «ith the one until it has ascertained the firmness of its grasp with 

 the other 



In consequence, as we may imagine, of this want of activity, the Slow, 

 paced Lemur is peculiarly susceptible of cold, to guard it from which its 

 thick fur, so unusual in the animals of a tropical climate, is beautifully 

 adapted. Generally speaking it is a timid and even a gentle animal, 

 rarely offering offence unless when provoked or hastily disturbed from its 

 slumbers. On such occasions it will bite with considerable fierceness. But 

 in cold weather, its anger is much more easily roused, and it evinces an 

 excessive degree of irritability. Notmthstanding its apparent slothfulness 

 it is easily disturbed, more especially by any imusual sound, the complicated 

 structure of its large opeu organs of hearing rendering them peculiarly sus- 

 ceptible. It seems to become after a time in some degree familiar n-ith 

 1 Bulion, vol. xxvi. p. 2H. 



11. 2 1' 



