152 THE TOWER MENAGERIE. 
otherwise be regarded as arbitrary and unnecessary. 
The teeth of the Lemurs are, like those of man and of 
the Monkeys of the Old World, thirty-two in number, 
and consist of four incisors, two canines, and ten molars 
in the upper jaw, and of six incisors, two canines, and 
eight molars in the lower. Such at least is the usual 
statement with respect to their dentition; but M. Geof- 
froy maintains, on the other hand, that the number of 
incisors is equal in both jaws, and coincides with that of 
the Monkeys; the two outermost of the six, which are 
larger than the rest, being in his opinion the true 
canines ; while the canines, commonly so called, are in 
fact only the first of the series of molars. ‘This conjec- 
ture unquestionably derives considerable strength from 
the fact that, when the animal closes its mouth, the 
supposed canines of the lower jaw pass behind those of 
the upper, a position directly contrary to that which 
they uniformly assume in every other animal that is 
furnished with that kind of teeth. On each of their four 
hands they have four fingers of moderate length, and a 
thumb which is capable of being opposed to them almost 
equally well with that of the other Quadrumana; they 
are consequently enabled to grasp whatever they seize 
with the greatest precision. The peculiarity of their 
nails consists in the shape of that of the index of the 
hinder hands, which forms an elongated, curved, and 
pointed claw, approaching in some degree to those of 
the carnivorous quadrupeds. All the rest of their nails 
are broad and flat like those of the Monkeys. Their 
posterior extremities are longer than their anterior; and 
their body and limbs are light, graceful, and well pro- 
portioned. The tail, which is of uniform thickness 
