86 SLOW LEMUR. 



ter of the slow-paced Lemur*. The illustrious 

 French naturalist, whom,, even when we criticise 

 a few parts of his noble work, we cannot but 

 name with admiration, observes of the Loris % that, 

 from the proportion of its body and limbs, one would 

 not suppose it slow in walking or leaping, and inti- 

 mates an opinion, that Seba gave this animal the 

 epithet of slozcmoving, from some fancied likeness to 

 the Sloth of America : but though its body be re- 

 markably long in proportion to the breadth of it, 

 and the hinder legs, or more properly arms, much 

 longer than those before, yet the Lor is, in fact, 

 walks or climbs very slowly, and is, probably, un- 

 able to leap. Neither its genus nor species, we 

 find, are new: yet, as its temper and instincts are 

 undescribed, and as the Natural History of M. 

 Buffon, or the System of Naturehy Linnaeus, can- 

 not always be readily procured, I have set down 

 a few remarks on the form, the manners, the 

 name, and the country of my little favourite, who 

 engaged my affection while he lived, and whose 

 memory I wish to perpetuate. 



' ' I. This male animal had four hands, each five- 

 fingered ; palms naked ; nails round, except those 

 of the indices behind, which were long, curved, 

 pointed ; hair very thick, especially on the 

 haunches, extremely soft, mostly dark-grey, varied 

 with brown and a tinge of russet; darker on the 



* A most convincing proof of the real merit and superiority of 

 the Linnaean mode of description 3 so much and so often condemned 

 by the Count de Buffon. 



