270 CLASS MAMMALIA. 



able to those compound appellatives drawn from apparent 

 characters, and which properly speaking are not names, 

 and are seldom sufficiently exclusive, or sufficiently exact. 

 The Lemur, for instance with a white forehead, {Lemur 

 albifrons) has a female whose head is grey. It is indeed 

 the bane of science that it should be overloaded with a pro- 

 fusion of classico-barbarous epithets, which are at once 

 oppressive to the memory, and prejudicial to the judgment. 

 The system of disguising ignorance and obscuring know- 

 ledge, by the mystification of symbols has not been suffered 

 to repose in peace in the pyramids of Egypt, with the dust 

 of its inventors. It has been resuscitated with success in 

 more modern and enlightened aeras, for it is too congenial 

 to the monopolizing and selfish spirit of man, ever to be 

 completely abandoned and forgotten. 



The Mone has been commonly considered, as originally 

 a native of Barbary, though we find no positive proof of 

 this assertion. It is certain, however, that it comes to us 

 from Africa, and if we may judge from its facility of living 

 in our climates, it is probably peculiar to the more northern 

 or more elevated regions of that immense continent. 



F. Cuvier, describes an individual, which he says was 

 developed under his own actual observation. He was ex- 

 tremely young when first received by the French menagerie, 

 and his gentleness, his total want of petulance and malice, 

 caused him to be left at liberty. Age did not alter his ex- 

 cellent disposition ; he became large and acquired con- 

 siderable strength ; his address, and agility were unparal- 

 leled. But all his motions were gentle, and his actions 

 were circumspect ; he was persevering in his wants and 

 wishes, but never violent in the attempt to enforce them. 

 When, after considerable solicitation on his part, his re- 

 quests were persistently refused, he would go off in a gam- 

 bol, and entertain himself with some new object. He had 

 no idea of property, he took every thing that pleased him, 



