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NATURAL HISTORY. 
Sifac , with the exception of its characteristic head ornament, and leads the same kind of life in 
another part of the island of Madagascar. Fine stuffed specimens of it, and of many other Indrisinae 
are in the British Museum, and it w ill be noticed that they are there called, not Indris, but Propithecus, 
which is another name for them. It is a question of the value of a tail in classification, which 
produces the two names for one genus. Some zoologists are impressed with the great importance 
of the tail, and do not class species together as a genus, although they may have strong resemblances, 
unless they all have or have not tails. Others do not consider the possession of a tail to be of 
such great importance when the other characters are sufficiently close to render it advisable to form 
them into one group. The same question arose in considering the Monkeys, for in the genus 
Macacus we admitted Macaques with and without tails ; and also in the genus Cynoccphalus, 
in which there are some with good, others with small, and a few with very stumpy tails, the 
same caudal latitude was given. Hence, it is not consistent to form two genera of these creatures, 
one with a tail (or Propithecus) and the other without one, or with a stump (or Indris). Indris 
contains the Lemuroids, whose other resemblances are so great that they overweigh the tail question. 
So little is known about the Diadem Indris that it is only necessary to notice one point in its anatomy, 
which refers to its habits. It evidently assumes the semi-erect posture very frequently when climbing, 
and a great part of the weight of the body is felt by the foot, and its great clasping toe-thumb. The 
examination of the foot proves that it is one, and not a hand, for bone for bone it may be compared 
THE DIADEM INDRIS AND THE WOOLLY INDRIS. (After Grandidicr.) 
