1884.] MR. F. E. BI.DDARD ON HAl'ALEMUR GRISEUS. 391 



1. On some Points in the Structure of Hapalemur griseus. 



By F. E. Beddard, M.A., F.Z.S., Prosector to the 



Society. 



[Eeceived June 3, 18S4.] 



A male Hapalemur griseus was purchased by the Society in March 

 1883, and its arrival at the Gardens was recorded by Mr. Sclater in 

 the ' Proceedings ' for that year (P. Z. S. 1 883, p. 1 78). On March 

 17th of the present year it died and came into my hands for 

 dissection. 



So far as I am aware, there is no published description of the 

 anatomy of the soft parts of this Lemur ; and our knowledge is at 

 present limited to its external characters, and to the dentition and 

 osteology, which have been described by Prof. Mivart\who places the 

 genus Hapalemur, together with Lepilemur and Lemur, in his sub- 

 family Lemurinse. 



I may commence by a few words about the species of Hapalemur. 



The genus Hapalemur was originally founded by Isidore Geoffroy 

 St. Hilaire 2 , who distinguished two sp'ecies, H. griseus and H. oliva- 

 ceits. These were regarded by him as distinct not merely by reason 

 of the different colour of the fur implied by the specific name of each, 

 but also on account of certain differences in the form of the lower 

 jaw, the exact nature of which is, however, not stated. 



In their * Faune de Madagascar ' 3 Schlegel and Pollen united these 

 two species under the name of //. griseus ; the differences between 

 the two not being regarded by these authors as of specific value. 



In 1870 4 Dr. J. E. Gray briefly described a third species of 

 Hapalemur, to which he gave the name of //. simus, distinguishing 

 it from H. griseus by a number of osteological characters as well as 

 by the colour of the fur. The differences indeed between the two 

 species appeared to Dr. Gray to be of sufficient importance to 

 warrant the separation of Hapalemur simus as a distinct subgenus, to 

 which the name Prolemur is applied. 



In a postscript added to this paper Dr. Gray writes that his 

 Hapalemur simus appeared to be in reality the same species as that 

 described by Pollen and Schlegel as Hapalemur griseus, inasmuch 

 as their figure 5 of the skull of this species shows the " truncated form 

 of the nose and the wide palate " which is characteristic of Hapalemur 

 simus, and is not to be found in the species known in England as 

 Hapalemur griseus. 



Quite recently Dr. Schlegel has written a short paper in the 

 ' Notes from the Leyden Museum '" criticizing Dr. Gray's definition 

 of Hapalemur simus, and stating that the alleged differences in the 

 form of the skull between this species and H. griseus have no exis- 

 tence, and that a careful comparison between the two species only 



1 P. Z. S. 1864, p. fill, and 1873, p. 484. 



2 ' Catalogue des Primates,' p. 75. 

 ; Faune de Madagascar,' 1868, t, i. p. (>. ' P Z.S 1S70 p S - ^ 

 Loe. ait. pi. 7. fig. 4. 6 Vo l. ii. p . 45.' 



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