94 



THE LEMURS. 



individuals are confined in the same cage, they are fond of huddling together, and involving 

 themselves in such a strange entanglement of tails, limbs, and heads, that until they separate, 

 it is almost impossible to decide upon the number of the animals that form the variegated mass. 

 It sometimes breeds in confinement, and then affords an interesting sight. The young 

 Lemur is not so thickly clothed as its mother, but makes up deficiencies in its own covering 

 by burying itself in the soft for of its parent. Many a time have I seen the little creature 

 sunk deeply in the soft fur of its mother's back, and so harmonizing with her, that the child 

 could hardly be distinguished from the parent. Sometimes it would creep under the mother, 

 and cling with arms and legs so firmly, that although she might move about her cage, the little 

 one was not shaken off, but held as firmly as Ulysses to the Cyclops' ram. 



There is a curious structure in the 

 hand and arm of this Lemur, bearing con- 

 siderable analogy to the formation of the 

 spider monkey's tail. By means of this 

 construction of the limb, the fingers of the 

 hand are closed when the arm is stretched 

 out, so that the animal can suspend itself 

 from a tree-branch, without incurring 

 fatigue. It sometimes utters a sound which 

 resembles the purring of a cat, and from 

 that habit is derived the name of Cattus. 

 The manner in which the dark spots and 

 rings are distributed over the body and 

 tail is welj shown in the engraving, and 

 need not be described. 



The White-fronted Lemur derives 

 its name from the patch of white hairs 

 which appears on its forehead. Some natu- 

 ralists suppose it to be the female of a 

 similar animal on whose forehead a sable 

 patch is substituted for the white, and is 

 therefore called the Black -fronted Lemur. 

 At present, however, the Black -fronted 

 animal is considered to be a distinct spe- 

 cies ; and the only difference between the 

 sexes of the White-fronted Lemur seems 

 to be, that in the male animal the forehead 

 and some other portions of the fur are 

 white, while in the female they are of a 

 light gray. The general color of the animal is a brownish chestnut, but in some examples a 

 gray tint takes the place of the darker color. 



It is a gentle and engaging creature, and not at all shy, even to strangers, unless they 

 alarm it by loud voices or hasty gestures. It is possessed of great agility, climbing trees, and 

 running among the branches with perfect ease, and capable of springing through a space of 

 several yards. So gently does it alight on the ground after it leaps, that the sound of its feet 

 can hardly be heard as they touch the ground. 



The Red Lemur possesses a fur which has somewhat of a woolly aspect, the hair separating 

 into tufts, each of which is slightly curled. It is a beautifully decorated animal, displaying 

 considerable contrast of coloring. The body, head, and the greater portion of the limbs, are 

 of a fine chestnut, with the exception of a large white patch covering the back of the head and 

 nape of the neck, and a smaller one in the midst of each foot. The face, the tail, and paws, 

 are black, as is all the under side of the body. This latter circumstance is most remarkable, as 

 it is almost a general rule that the under parts of animals are lighter in tint than the upper. 

 Around the sides of the face, the hair is of a paler chestnut than that which covers the body. 



**.-t- 



RING-TAILED LEMUR.— Lemur catta. 



