CHAP. XVII.] 



MAMMALIA. 



177 



Sub-family Galaginae, contains only the genus Galago (14 sp.), 

 which is confined to the African continent, ranging from Senegal 

 and Fernando Po to Zanzibar and Natal. 



Family 7.— TARSIID^F. (1 Genus, 1 Species.) 



The curious Tarsius spectrum, which constitutes this family, 

 inhabits Sumatra, Banca, and Borneo, and is also found in some 

 parts of Celebes, which would bring it into the Australian 

 region ; but this island is altogether so anomalous that we can 

 only consider its productions to have somewhat more affinity 

 with the Australian than the Oriental region, but hardly to 

 belong to either. The Tarsier is a small, long-tailed, nocturnal 

 animal, of curious structure and appearance ; and it forms the only 

 link of connection with the next family, which it resembles 

 in the extraordinary development of the toes, one of which is 

 much larger and more slender than the rest. (Plate VIIL, vol. 

 i. p. 337.) 



Family 8.— CHIROMYID^. (1 Genus, 1 Species.) 



General Distribution. 



Neotropical 

 Sub-regions. 



Nearctic 



Sub-regions. 



Pal^earctic 

 Sub-regions. 



Ethiopian 

 Sub-regions. 



Oriental 

 Sub-regions. 



Australian 

 Sub-regions. 



— A 



The Aye-aye, (Chiromys), the sole representative of this family, 

 is confined to the island of Madagascar. It was for a long 

 time very imperfectly known, and was supposed to belong to 

 the Eodentia ; but it has now been ascertained to be an ex- 

 ceedingly specialized form of the Lemuroid type, and must be 

 considered to be one of the most extraordinary of the mammalia 

 now inhabiting the globe. (Plate VI., vol. i., p. 278.) 



