ORDER QUADRUMANA. 829 



and sleep together in an embracing posture, otherwise they 

 fight desperately, biting, and tearing out each other's hair 

 with their hands. F. Cuvier had two pairs of these ani- 

 mals not accustomed to each other, and whenever he re- 

 moved the partition which separated their cages, they were 

 seized with an indescribable fury. They uttered sharp and 

 interrupted sounds, but rapidly successive, and would have 

 done each other serious injury but for the intervention of 

 the iron bars. They were fed on boiled roots, fruits, bread 

 and milk, and kept in an uniform temperature of from 

 twelve to fifteen degrees. By these cares, and an attention 

 to cleanliness they were preserved in tolerable health, and 

 seemed less sensible to captivity, and less affected by the in- 

 clemency of climate, than the monkeys in the same collection. 

 The pointed nail, which we have noticed these animals 

 to possess, on the fore-finger of the hind hand, they never 

 use except for the purpose of introducing into their ears, 

 where they keep it for some time without any evident rea- 

 son. It also appears that they use their lower incisors to 

 scratch and cleanse their feet, a service which they render 

 mutually to one another, and which seems to be one mode 

 of expressing their mutual satisfaction. 



The Mococo is by far the most beautiful of the Lemurs, 

 and not less distinguished for its confiding and affectionate 

 character. The tail, coloured with alternate rings of black 

 and white, is one of its most distinguishing external pecu- 

 liarities ; an organic characteristic in the Mococo, well wor- 

 thy observation, is, that the palm of the hand is extended 

 by a straight line concealed under the hair, as far as the 

 middle of the arm, where it appears uncovered. By means 

 of this, when the Mococo extends his arm, the fingers nece- 

 sarily close ; and this accounts for the facility with which 

 these animals suspend themselves from the branches of 

 trees. Buffon is mistaken in supposing this Lemur to have 



