492 ZOOLOGY. 
These extremities are also concerned in locomotion. Quadrumana therefore’ 
have four hand-like feet; the distinction between the anterior and posterior 
extremities, so remarkable in man, does not strike us here, except to a very 
shght degree. ‘These animals climb trees with facility, or may walk on 
their four limbs, in which case the foot rests only on its outer edge. 
Sometimes they may stand upright, but this they always accomplish with 
difficulty. 
Quadrumana may be conveniently divided into two groups: the monkeys 
(Simic) and the lemurs or makis (Prosimie), the latter being preceded or 
followed by two genera whose strange combination of characters has thrown 
a certain obscurity upon their true affinities. 
Fam. 1. CoiroMyipa#. The genus Chiromys or aye-aye of Madagascar 
is the only one which composes this family, and is placed by some among 
Rodentia. This animal is rare even in its native country. In its general 
conformation it is strictly lemurine, though having much of the aspect of‘a 
squirrel. The extremities have five fingers; the first is separated from the 
rest, and shorter, so as clearly to represent the thumb, although the latter 
is not opposable. The first toe is armed with a straight, pomted claw, as in 
the lemur. Its habits are those of the lemurs, being concealed most of the 
time during the day in some hollow, and sleeping. At night it issues forth 
in search of its food, which consists of buds and fruits, with msects and 
larve. The tail is long, and always kept trailing. Each jaw has only two 
front teeth, very large, strong, flattened, and their roots extend backwards — 
along almost the whole length of the jaw; between these and the molars 
there is a wide interval, as in the rodents. The molars, however, are sim- 
ple in their structure. There are two mamme situated near the groin, as 
in Rodentia, but again, in the tarsiers, we find two pairs of them, one 
pair on the chest, the other in the groin. Only one species is known (C. 
psylodactylus), the aye-aye: : 
Fam. 2. GALEOPITHECIDZ. This family, like the preceding, is composed 
of a single genus, the genus (raleopithecus, or flying lemur, a native of the 
Moluccas, Philippines, and other islands of the Indian Archipelago. Its’ 
chief peculiarity consists in the extension of its skin between the anterior 
and posterior limbs on each side, and also between the two posterior limbs, 
including the tail, so as to form a parachute of considerable extent, which, 
though it does not enable the animal to fly, gives it support in the air 
sufficient to enable it to take long sweeping leaps from tree to tree with the 
utmost facility. The extraordinary combination of characters exhibited by 
this animal has puzzled the naturalists as to the place which it should occupy 
in the series of beings. The general aspect of the head is lemurine; the 
extremities are all furnished with five fingers, but the first or the thumb is 
separated from the rest, and does not antagonize with them, being short, 
whilst the remaining ones are nearly equal, and armed with large, deep, 
hooked, sharp-edged, retractile claws, resembling those of the cat tribe. 
There are four incisors in each jaw; the canines are absent in the lower; 
the molars are six on either side in each jaw, and are raised up into 
pointed tubercles. During the day, these animals remain in the depth of 
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