NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 



tree, buds, flowers, shoots, &c. During the summer 

 months a heavy toll is levied on bird life, for the 

 galago is especially fond of birds' eggs and the fledg- 

 lings. Taking advantage of the darkness w^hen birds 

 are roosting, the galago steals silently vsfithin a few 

 feet of them, and with a spring the victim is seized 

 with the jaws or hands, and quickly killed. The 

 galago, however, takes good care not to interfere 

 with the "Bush Hawk's" domestic arrangements, 

 for both male and female hawk are well able to 

 defend their eggs and young against the attacks of 

 this little night prowler. 



Garnett's Galago is occasionally seen in captivity. 

 It is gentle and interesting in its ways, and is easily 

 tamed. Its habits and ways are very similar to those 

 of the well-known lemurs of Madagascar which are 

 so common in Zoological Gardens. A peculiarity 

 which distinguishes the galago from its close rela- 

 tions the lemurs, is its power of folding down the 

 upper half of its big, round, leafy-looking ears, so as 

 to cover the orifice of the aural passage, and thus 

 prevent the entrance of moisture from the dew-laden 

 foliage the animal rambles through in its nocturnal 

 peregrinations. The ears being so large and thin 

 they are liable to get torn with twigs and thorns, and 

 for this reason alone the power of folding down the 

 ears is a good and useful one, for the galago is prac- 

 tically destitute of weapons of offence and defence ; 

 therefore its only protection against its many enemies 

 lies in its acute sense of hearing, hence the reason 



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