94 
THE LEMURS. 
individuals are confined in the same cage, they are fond of huddling together, and involving 
themselves in such a strange entanglement of tails, limbs, and heads, that until they separate, 
it is almost impossible to decide upon the number of the animals that form the variegated mass. 
It sometimes breeds in confinement, and then affords an interesting sight. The young 
Lemur is not so thickly clothed as its mother, but makes up deficiencies in its own covering 
by burying itself in the soft fur of its parent. Many a time have I seen the little creature 
sunk deeply in the soft' fur of its mother’s back, and so harmonizing with her, that the child 
could hardly be distinguished from the parent. Sometimes it would creep under the mother, 
and cling with arms and legs so firmly, that although she might move about her cage, the little 
one was not shaken off, but held as firmly as Ulysses to the Cyclops’ ram. 
There is a curious structure in the 
hand and arm of this Lemur, bearing con- 
siderable analogy to the formation of the 
spider monkey’s tail. By means of this 
construction of the limb, the fingers of the 
hand are closed when the arm is stretched 
out, so that the animal can suspend itself 
from a tree-branch, without incurring 
fatigue. It sometimes utters a sound which 
resembles the purring of a cat, and from 
that habit is derived the name of Cattus. 
The manner in which the dark spots and 
rings are distributed over the body and 
tail is well shown in the engraving, and 
need not be described. 
The Wixite-fronted Lemur derives 
its name from the patch of white hairs 
which appears on its forehead. Some natu- 
ralists suppose it to be the female of a 
similar animal on whose forehead a sable 
patch is substituted for the white, and is 
therefore called the Black -fronted Lemur. 
At present, however, the Black -fronted 
animal is considered to be a distinct spe- 
cies ; and the only difference between the 
sexes of the White-fronted Lemur seems 
to be, that in the male animal the forehead 
and some other portions of the fur are 
white, while in the female they are of a 
light gray. The general color of the animal is a brownish chestnut, but in some examples a 
gray tint takes the place of the darker color. 
It is a gentle and engaging creature, and not at all shy, even to strangers, unless they 
alarm it by loud voices or hasty gestures. It is possessed of great agility, climbing trees, and 
running among the branches with perfect ease, and capable of springing through a space of 
several yards. So gently does it alight on the ground after it leaps, that the sound of its feet 
can hardly be heard as they touch the ground. 
The Bed Lemur possesses a fur which has somewhat of a woolly aspect, the hair separating 
into tufts, each of which is slightly curled. It is a beautifully decorated animal, displaying 
considerable contrast of coloring. The body, head, and the greater portion of the limbs, are 
of a fine chestnut, with the exception of a large white patch covering the back of the head and 
nape of the neck, and a smaller one in the midst of each foot. The face, the tail, and paws, 
are black, as is all the under side of the body. This latter circumstance is most remarkable, as 
it is almost a general rule that the under parts of animals are lighter in tint than the upper. 
Around the sides of the face, the hair is of a paler chestnut than that which covers the body. 
