544 MAMMALIA. 



Certain authors have preserved this designation, and classify the 

 Makis under the term Lemuridas. 



The family of Makis comprises five tribes, some of which 

 are divided into a certain number of genera : these are the Makis 

 properly so called, the Indris, the Tarsius, the Gralagos, and the 

 Loris. 



Genus Maki, or Macacos. — These animals are, of all the 

 Lemuridse, those whose heads are the most tapering ; and there- 

 fore it is to them that the denomination of Fox-headed Monkeys 

 is applicable. BufFon called them False-Monkeys. They stand 

 somewhat high on their feet, and take rank, for size, between the 

 Marten and the Fox. Their pelage is soft and thick, and their 

 tail long and bushj'. They live in forests, and feed chiefly on 

 fruits. Their movements are light and graceful ; their voice is a 

 low or a loud growl, according to the nature of their emotions. 

 The female has onlj^ one at a birth, and testifies the greatest 

 tenderness for it, keeping it concealed beneath her body, buried in 

 her thick fur, until the period when its hair, having acquired a 

 suflicient length, maj' efflcaciouslj^ protect it against external 

 vicissitudes. It is suckled for six months, after which it is left to 

 its own resources. 



These animals are sociable, and often collect into numerous 

 bands. They select almost inaccessible places to sleep in ; are 

 readilj' tamed, and even reproduce in captivity. Frederic Cuvier 

 studied one which, although very sensitive to cold, had thriven 

 during nineteen years' sojourn in France. During winter it drew 

 so near the fire as to singe its moustaches, and held its hands 

 up before its face like a human being. 



Modern naturalists reckon no fewer than fifteen species of 

 Makis ; we will only mention the best known. These are : the 

 Ruifled Lemur, whose fur is varied with white and black spots ; 

 the Ring-tailed Lemur (Fig. 236), easily recognisable by its 

 tail being marked with alternate white rings; the Brown 

 Lemur, grey above, and white beneath, and the nude parts 

 of the extremities of a brown colour ; the Red Lemur, very 

 remarkable for the brilliancy of its colours, — the body is almost 

 entirely of a fine red, the muzzle, hands, breast, belly, and tail 

 are black, on the neck is a large white patch, and bracelets, 

 also white, on the wrists of the posterior members ; the White- 



