THE LEMURS, 



83 



the legs of the mother, who tends them with 

 loving care. \\'ounded lemurs defend them- 

 selves vigorously with their teeth and claws 

 against men and dogs. Their flesh is esteemed. 



In captivity they seem to be rather stupid, 

 but they accustom 

 themselves easily 

 to society, live on 

 peaceable terms 

 with other animals, 

 take kindly to a 

 mixed, largely vege- 

 table diet, are fond 

 of being stroked, 

 and gently scratch- 

 ed with the finger- 

 tips, but otherwise 

 excite little interest, 

 since it is only at 

 night that they be- 

 come really lively. 

 Some species are 

 now to be found in 

 all zoological gar- 

 dens. 



The Ring-tailed 



Lemur (Lemur cat- 



/^), fig. 25, is a small 



elegant animal, with 



a body of about 1 6 



inches, and a tail of 



about 20 inches in 



length. The fine 



thick woolly fur 



varies from gray to 



brown -red. Face, 



ears, and throat are 



which it about equals in size. The chief 

 points of resemblance consist in the lono- tail 

 becoming bushy towards the end, and the 

 long hairs of the moustache. The larae 

 spoon-shaped ears can be folded up. The 



ankles, as already 

 mentioned, are elon- 

 gated, the toes fur- 

 nished with small 

 discs to serve as 

 means of attach- 

 ment. Besides the 

 pectoral teats the 

 female has two 

 others situated on 

 the abdomen. They 

 build nests for them- 

 selves like squirrels, 

 and live only in the 

 densest woods. The 

 species represented 

 in fig. 26 is of a 

 rusty yellow colour 

 with a white streak 

 on the nose. 



The Gray or 

 Broad-nosed Lemur 

 [Hapalcmur gris- 

 C2is) or Bokombol 

 of the natives, fig. 

 27, is an entirely 

 nocturnal animal, 

 '^^4' :'''h'^h, during the 

 '^'^/l^'^day, howe^•er, has 

 only a very light 

 sleep. It grunts 

 like a little pig, 

 white, the nose is black, and the eves are climbs and jumps nimbly about in the bam- 



Fig. 28. — The ^^'alu^■i or Forked-crowned Mouse Lemur \Ckircgakus furcif^r] 



page 84. 



surrounded by black rings, ha\-ing the ap- 

 pearance of spectacles; the bushy tail is 

 marked with bright coloured rinos. This 



o o 



species lives in the south-west of Madagascar, 

 and is said to be distinguished by the elegance 

 of its movements. 



boo thickets by night, living on the bamboo 

 leaves. It has short hairy ears almost 

 hidden in the thick fur of the body, which 

 is of a grav colour, passing into dark brown 

 on the back. The tail is very long, and 

 the dentition is marked by prominent upper 



The Dwarf Lemur (Microccbits niyoxinus), incisors. 

 fig. 26, somewhat resembles our dormouse, As in the preceding genera we know also 



