2 58 LEMURS. 



'-5 



The Tarsier (Tarxin-ofipectriini). 



Takes the fii-st of its Latin names from tlie eloni;atiou of the Ixjnes of the upper 

 part of the ankle (t(irsu-s), after the manner we have noticed as occurring in 

 the mouse-lemurs and galagos, and it-s second from its spectre-like and ghostly 

 appearance. It is a native of various ishnids in the Malayan region, being found, 

 among othei-s, in Celebes, Sumatra, Borneo, the Philippines, and some othei-s. It 

 has never, we believe, been exliibited alive in tliis country, and since accounts at 

 first hand from those who have seen animals in their native countries are always 

 valuable, we commence our notice of this animal bj- quoting from Dr. Guillemard, 

 who received a living .specimen while at Celebes, and, in liis ('»■;» j.se of the Marchfivi, 

 writes as follows : — " The most interesting addition to our menagerie was a tiny 

 lemuroid animal {T. .yyectrum), brought to us by a native, by whom it was said to 

 have been caught UDon the mainland. These little creatures, which are of arboreal 

 and nocturnal habits, are about the size of a small rat, and are covered with 

 remarkably thick fur, which is \ery soft. The tail is long, ami coAered with hair 

 at the root and tip, while the midiUe portion of it is nearly bare. The eyes are 

 enormous, and indeed seem, together with the equally large ear's, to constitute the 

 greater part of the face, for the jaw and nose are very small, ami the latter is set 

 on, like that of a pug dog, almost at a right angle. The hind-limb at once attracts 

 attention from the great length of the tai-sal [ankle] bones, and the hand is equally 

 noticeable for its length, the curious claws with which it is provided, and the 

 extraordinarj' disc-shaped palps on the palmar surface of the fingers, which 

 probably enables the animal to retain its hold in almost any po.sition. This weird- 

 looking creature we were unable to keep long in captivity, for we could not get it 

 to eat the cockroaches which were almost the onlj- food with which we could 

 .supply it. It remained still bj* day in its darkened cage, but at night, especially 

 if (hsturbed, it would spring verticallj- upwards in an odd mechanical manner, not 

 unlike the hopping of a flea. On the thii'<l day it found a gi-ave in a pickle-bottle." 



If we add that the general colour of the fur is usuallj' some shade of brownish- 

 fawn, ^\-ith the face and forehead reddish, and a dark ring round the enormous 

 eyes, the alx)ve account gives a very good idea of the general appearance of the 

 tai-sier,^ the length of whose body is about 6 inches. This account does not, 

 however, show us any reasons why this animal should be separated fix>m the 

 tj'pical lemui-s as the representative of a separate family : and we must therefore 

 proceed to the consideration of this point. 



Now, the elongation of the bones of the upper half of the ankle evidentlj' 

 allies the tai-sier to the galagos and mouse-lemui-s : and if the other characters of the 

 animal approximated to them there would be no reason why it should not be 

 included in the family. It happens, however, that there are verj' important differ- 

 ences connected with the teeth, and it is on these zoologists largely rely in assigning 

 the tarsier to a distinct family. In describing the teeth of the lemui-s it has 

 been shown that the middle pair of incisoi-s in the upper jaw are separated from 

 one another by an intervening space, and it maj* be added here that thej' are of 

 small size. If, however, we examine the skull of a tarsier, we shall find that these 



1 In Pr. Guilleniard's figure, reproduced on p. 244, the ears .ire longer than in our heading. 



