MOUSE-LEMURS 243 



And as these forests and their vicinity are the home of several 

 of the lemurs which have not yet been noticed in these pages, 

 I will here give some particulars of four or five species. 



The ring-tailed lemur (Lemur eo#a),is perhaj^gjjh^jjest known 

 of aff the lemuricfse, from ~it& 'tMMKlaQmely marked tail, which 

 isjtinged with black and white bands, thus clearly distinguishing 

 it from all the other species of the sub-order. And while 

 'almost "every other lemur is arboreal, this species lives among 

 the rocks, over which they can easily travel, but can be only 

 followed with great difficulty. The palms of their hands are 

 long, smooth and leather-like, and so enable these animals to 

 find a firm footing on the slippery wet rocks. The thumbs on 

 the hinder hands are very much smaller than those of the forest- 

 inhabiting lemurs, as they do not need them for grasping 

 the branches of trees. Their winter food is chiefly the fruit 

 of the prickly pear ; while in summer they subsist chiefly on 

 wild figs and bananas. This species bears a sea voyage fairly 

 well, so that they are often seen in Mauritius and Reunion, 

 and even more distant places. 



Another species of lemur, which inhabits the south-eastern 

 forests, is the broad-nosed gentle lemur (Hapalemur simus). 

 This animal is found among the bamboos, and it appears to 

 subsist in a great measure on the young shoots of that plant. 

 For biting and mincing up the stalks its teeth seem admirably 

 adapted, as they are nearly all serrated cutting teeth, and are 

 arranged so as mutually to intersect. It eats almost all the 

 day long, and has a curious dislike of fruit. It is furnished with 

 a remarkably broad pad on each of the hinder thumbs, so that 

 it is able to grasp firmly even the smallest surfaces. 



Perhaps the most beautiful and interesting as well as the 

 smallest lemuriae animals inhabiting Madagascar belong to 

 the group called Cheirogale, or mouse-lemurs, of which there 

 are seven species. As their name implies, they are very small, 

 the dwarf species (Cheirogakus minor) being only four inches 

 long, with a tail of six inches. This pretty little animal is 

 remarkable also for its large and very resplendent eyes, for 

 the eye admits so much light at dusk that quite an unusual 

 brilliancy is produced. The brown mouse-lemur (Cheirgaleus 

 major) i" larger than the last-named species, being seven or 

 eight inches long. Most, if not all, of the species live in the 



