503 



a very short tail; the eyes are very large, promi- 

 nent, bright, and directed forward. The limbs 

 appear weak, aod the animal dra^s its slow 

 lenijth along^,*' as if it were pain lo move. The 

 species under description is about a foot long, the 

 fur red, with a deeper colored dorsal line. It ut- 

 rers a low melancholy cry when teased, and has 

 a mournful expression of counlen;\nce» 



Galeopitbe*ius, Geoff. Pall. Desm.— (Synoai- 



The Galeopitheci belong to the Cheiropterous 

 order and are distinguished in common with the 

 other families by having their form adapted for 

 flight, a strong expansile membrane running 

 froni the throat to the forefeet » thence to the hind- 

 feet, and from tliem to the tail. 



Mr. Stark * says that the Galeopitheci are but 

 imperfectly known," and again " that the largest 

 gpecies known is not bigger than a young cat." 

 He enumerates but three species viz. G. rufus, 

 which he classes with the Lemur volans. or Fly- 

 ing roacanco of Linnaeus, llie O. varkgalm, sup- 

 posed by some naturalists io he but a variety of 

 the preceding, and tlie G. TenmkmU. 1 am in- 

 clined to think that either the lA:mtir volans of 

 Linnieos is a diiitinet speciesj or else that the 

 specimen from the Pelew islands, which this au- 

 thor states to be about a foot long, must have 

 been a young one, as the animals of this nature 

 in the Malayan Peninsula are fully three feet long, 

 and thus agree witU the Linnaan Lemur voiam, 

 and measure the sanie across when the membrane 

 is expanded. 



The Galeop'Uhecuii rufia i& of a dusky red, but 



• Elements or Naioral History, Vol. 1. p.Oj. 



