GALAGOS. 223 



unfortunately, this point of distinction can onlj- be seen in a dried skull. If, 

 however, we take the skull of a mouse-lemur we shall find that while the last three 

 upper teetli, or molars, have broad crowns and are alike, the tooth in advance of 

 these, which is the last premolar, has a smaller and simpler crown, of a triangular 

 shape. In a galago's skull, on the conti'ary, tliis last upper premolar, although 

 slightly smaller than the molars, has a similarly shaped crown, broad on the inner 

 side, and nearly quadrangular in shape. 



The galagos are widely distributed over the " dark continent," one kind being 

 found as far south as Natal, while there are several on the western side and two 

 on the eastern. Like the mouse-lemurs, they are essentially nocturnal ; and are, of 

 course, confined to those regions where thick forest prevails. When not enjoying 

 their diurnal repose, they are lively and interesting. They subsist on a mixed diet, 

 including fruits, insects, and small birds and their eggs. Some of the .smaller 

 species will readil}' devour locusts, and the peculiar leaf-like mantides, or praj'ing 

 insects. When on the ground the galagos recall the lemurs of the indri group, in 

 that the}- generally sit in the ujjright position, and progi-ess by a series of leaps or 

 hops. They usually have two or three young at a birth ; and are stated to have 

 bred in captivity in Africa, although we are not aware whether they have done so 

 in Europe. Many of them, however, thrive well in our menageries; where some 

 have been represented by a consideral)le number of individuals. It is stated that 

 the galagos resemble the mouse-lemurs in building nests, which are situated in the 

 forked branches of trees ; but it is probable that this is only true of the smaller 

 species. They appear, however, to be peculiar in that several individuals will 

 inhabit the same nest, out of which they all rush when suddenly distui-bed. The 

 total number of teeth, both in the galagos and the mouse-lemurs, is the same as in 

 the true lemurs. 



The Great Galago (Galago crassicuudata). 



With the exception of a closely-allied kind from the West Coast, the great, 

 or thick-tailed galago, of Mozambique and the Lower Zambesi Valley, is the largest 

 of all the species. This animal of wliich a figure is given on p. 222, is in point 

 of size about equal to a cat of average dimensions ; and, indeed, the peculiar manner 

 in which it carries its thick bushy tail higli above its back is highly suggestive 

 of a pampered Persian cat. This bushy tail is about one-fourth longer than the 

 head and bod}'. The great galago belongs to a group of three or four .species, 

 in which the ears are unusually long, and the muzzle is considerably elongated, 

 while the feet are comparatively broad and short, and the fingers and toes have 

 broad disc-like expansions at their extremities. The colour of the fur is a uniform 

 dark brown. 



Writing of this species. Sir J. Kirk observes that " it is confined to the maritime 

 region, so far as I know never penetrating beyond the band of wood generally 

 known as the mangrove forests. By the Portuguese it is named ' rat of the cocoa- 

 nut palm,' that being its favourite haunt by day, nestling among the fronds ; but 

 if it be disturbed, performing feats of agilit}', and darting from one palm to another. 

 It will spring with great rapidity, adhering to any object as if it were a lump of 



