324 CLASS MAMMALIA. 



seems to have pointed out this animal under the name of 

 '.« the little Macauco." 



The best and perhaps only correct account of " the red 

 Lemur," is due to M. Peron. Commercon, during his resi- 

 dence at Madagascar had made a drawing of this Lemur, 

 but it remained unattended to, among his papers which 

 were sent to Paris after his death, until Peron on his return 

 brought with him a stuffed figure of the animal. This 

 drawing of Commercon was accompanied with no corre- 

 sponding description of the species, which was the cause 

 of its being treated with so much neglect. Travellers, 

 should always unite figures and descriptions of such new 

 animals as attract their attention ; one is necessary for the 

 explanation of the other, and both for the verification of 

 the species. 



An individual of this species was in Mr. Bullock's late 

 valuable collection. It was a female, and of the most 

 beautiful of the lemur kind. It was equally distinguished 

 for size, for brilliancy and contrast of colours. Our author 

 seems to think that the males of this species like most 

 others of the lemurs may differ from the females in some 

 of the colours. All the upper parts of the body, head, fyc, 

 are of a beautiful maronne colour, the under parts and the 

 tail altogether of the deepest black, which is also the 

 colour of the skin of the face, and of the four hands. A 

 large white spot covers the nape of the neck, and another 

 transverse one of the same colour ; is found on the middle 

 of each foot, the hairs which cover the cheeks, and sur- 

 round the ears, are somewhat of a paler maronne than the 

 rest. The eyes are yellow. 



It may be remarked, that very few animals have the 

 under parts of a deeper colour than the upper; until this 

 lemur was observed., the grison alone exhibited this devi- 

 ation from the general law of colour. 



