THE LIFE OF MAMMALS 
of a tail and ankles, are white. It rarely comes to the ground, 
spending its time moving about in high trees with its fellows 
and living principally on fruit and leaves, yet often catching 
birds in order to eat their brains. The silky-haired, monkey- 
like sifakas, which are white with reddish and black markings, 
are more generally distributed over Madagascar, and are ex- 
ceedingly pretty, but delicate, inactive, and morose in captivity. 
True or typical lemurs (Lemuring) have rounded heads, fox- 
like muzzles with thirty-two teeth, small ears, and a soft, thick, 
and woolly fur often ele- 
gantly tinted. They range 
in size from that of a cat 
to that of a squirrel, vary 
much in color, and are 
confined to Madagascar. 
These run about on the 
limbs of trees on all fours, 
but on the ground walk 
erect on their hind legs, 
and are capable of very 
agile jumping. Nearly all 
are diurnal but most active 
toward evening, and very 
noisy. Only one or two 
young are born at a time, 
and these are carried about 
by the mother, at first cling- 
ing to her breast, but later 
riding on her back. Lemurs 
are easily kept, readily breed in menageries, and one of the 
most interesting is the ring-tailed, or ‘‘ Madagascar cat,” gray, 
with the long tail ringed in black and white. Like the others, 
it is not scattered generally over the island, but lives only on 
the slippery seaside cliffs, scrambling about rocks where not 
52 
Copyright, N. Y. Zod@l. Suc. Sanborn, Phot. 
RUFFED LEMUR. 
