]^24 , 3iR' P- ^- BEDDAKD ON THE [Feb. 19, 



fi<yured by Milue-Edwards \ Both of the gentlemen to whom 

 I°referred further informed me that in II. simus^ there were no 

 traces of these peculiar modifications of the skin of the wrist. 

 But in dried skins, structures of this kind might conceivably be 

 missed. I am therefore glad to have the opportunity of stating 

 that in the fresh ff. simiis, which forms the subject of the present 

 communication, there are no traces at ail of any modification of 

 the skin of the forearm such as characterizes Hapalenmr griseus. 

 These two species are regarded by most systematists as perfectly 

 distinct, though it may be admitted that the general aspect of the 

 two is not very different". Influenced probably by this latter 

 consideration, Mr. Lydekker observed in the ' Eoyal Natural 

 History ' (vol. i. p. 217) that the Broad-nosed Lemur (H. simus) 

 does not appear to be more than a variety of the Gentle Lemur 

 (fl. griseus). The above-stated facts, even if there were no others, 

 seem to show plainly that the two forms of Hapalemur are dis- 

 tinctly entitled to separate specific names. There is one otber fact 

 of external structure which distinguishes the present species from 

 its congener. Shortly after my description of the arm-gland and 

 patch of spines upon the forearm of the male H. griseus, Mr. Bland 

 Sutton discovered and figured ^ in this Lemur and in some others 

 a tuft of long hairs in close proximity to the patch of spines. 

 Since that time I have found a similar tuft of hairs on the arms of 

 mammals belonging to other orders than the Lemures ^, and have 

 expressed the opinion that they are possibly general in such 

 creatures as use their forearms as gi-asping or climbing organs. 

 It had appeared to me further, that this tuft of long, often black, 

 hairs, wlaich are quite unmistakable, are not to be looked upon 

 as a sexual character. I was therefore much surprised at being 

 totally unable to detect the faintest vestige of them in the female 

 Hapalemur simus upon which I comment in the present communi- 

 cation. I believe that there is no doubt about their absence ; I 

 looked with extreme care for them and removed the skin in order 

 to find — if it were present— the strong nerve-twig which is at 

 least often associated with them in other mammals. This was 

 totally absent. Having by me a number of carefully sexed skins 

 of o\ her Lemurs, I investigated this quCwStion further. 



In females of Lemur albifrons, L. anjuanensis, L. brunneus, L. coro- 

 natus, and L. mongoz I found a tuft of three or four long hairs 

 upon the forearm show^u with perfect distinctness ; I also observed 

 the same in males of the species L. albimanus, L. hrunneus, 

 L. albifrons, and L. rufifrons. On the other hand, in a female 

 skin of each of the species L. mongoz, L. nigrifrons, and L. anjuan- 



^ Histoire Naturelle &c. cle Madagascar. 



- Br. G-ray (P. Z. S. 1872, p. 852) observed that " it has been suggested that 

 the colour of H. griseus and H. simus are so alike that they are only the sexes 

 of the same species." 



3 " On the Arm-gland of Lemurs," P. Z. S. 1887, p. 369. 



* " On the Anatomy of Bassarict/on," P. Z. S. 1890, p. 66 1, and ' Nature,' 

 vol. Ixii. p. 52-3. 



