THE 



POPULAR SCIENCE 

 MONTHLY. 



SEPTEMBER, 1889. 



A STUDY FROM LIFE. 



By OLIVE THOENE MILLEE. 



MANY a strange little beast from far-off quarters of the globe 

 may be picked Tip in New York, in places where sailors are 

 wont to dispose of their pets. In this way I came into possession 

 of a rare and interesting animal, a black-headed lemur, or Lemur 

 brunneus, native of Madagascar. He was a member of my house- 

 hold for nearly a year, and during that time the family circle was 

 never dull. The whole of Barnum's menagerie next door could not 

 afford more entertainment than did this one droll little fellow. 



He was about the size of a small cat, or, to be exact, from the 

 tip of his pointed nose to the root of the tail he measured sixteen 

 inches ; of that length, three inches were face and thirteen body 

 and neck. His girth back of the fore-legs was nine inches. 



The manners of the little stranger were extremely odd. His 

 home was a cage in the parlor, where he was generally alone all 

 day, and spent the time, it is to be supposed, in sleeping, although 

 I must admit I rarely found him so. At about four in the after- 

 noon I went into the room and let him out. The moment I ap- 

 peared he came to the front of the cage, pressed his weird little 

 black face with its clear topaz eyes to the wires, and then began to 

 call and " weave " impatiently. The latter was a singular move- 

 ment. Planting his hind-legs far apart in a half -sitting position, 

 he held up and outward his short arms, and swayed his whole body 

 from side to side — at each end of his swing bringing his hands 

 down almost to the floor. This he did very rapidly, uttering every 

 moment a short, quick sort of double grunt, with an occasional 

 explosion or " snort," in the exact tone of a pig. 



Of course, I instantly opened his door, from that time till ten 

 o'clock being his regular daily outing. Like a flash he bounced 

 vol. xxxv. — 37 



