226 
NATURAL HISTORY. 
curious that the species of Makis should be classified under a genus bearing the name of Lemur. 
But in this instance, as in many others, the original derivation of the name has but slight or even 
no reference to the peculiarities of the animals which are thus artificially designated by it, and of course 
great confusion results. 
o 
There are many species included in the genus Lemur, and there is great difficulty in discriminating 
between them, for many of them are very variable, and therefore it is probable that it will be 
much restricted with the advance of the knowledge of the zoology of Madagascar. All have a long 
snout, a small, flat, and long skull, and a long body with narrow flanks. The hind limbs are rather 
longer than the front ones, and there is a long furry tail. The feet and hands are short, and the great 
toe is broad ; moreover, the ears are moderate in length, and are either tufted or are hairy. In some 
kinds the head is surrounded by a ruff of fur, and the colour of the hair differs according to the species, 
and is even different in individuals of the same kind. 
Thus, a black Lemur, called Lemur niger , has a female which has white whiskers, and another with 
a black-and-white fur, which is called the Huffed Lemur ( Lemur varius ), has a young one which is red, so 
that all these different tints having been formerly recognised as belonging to different lands or species, 
are now proved to be natural varieties of fewer species. 
The males of many kinds differ from the females in colour, and from the young also ; moreover, at 
certain times of the year, according to the age of the animal, the fur changes its tints, and a corresponding 
alteration is produced by different food, so that the great number of species of Lemur described by 
naturalists must be regarded with suspicion. 
A careful plan in discriminating the species is to divide them after the fashion — but not with the 
same intention — of the late Dr. Gray, of the British Museum. He made certain groups, and called 
each a genus, but this last proceeding was not correct. One of his groups are as follows : — For example,. 
Lemurs with faces without a ruff, the tail ringed, and a bald spot above the inside of the wrist. * The 
first kind about to be described belongs to this set, and is 
THE RING -TAILED LEMUR— THE MACxlCO OF BUFFON— LEMUR CATTA— THE CAT-LIKE 
LEMUR. 
All these titles refer to the pretty Cat-like Lemur with chinchilla-grey tints, and a banded tail of 
black and grey rings, which is commonly to be seen at the Zoological Gardens. It is so familiar, and 
has been so carefully examined, that it is advisable it should occupy some space in this description of 
its natural history. 
The naturalist's name for this creature aptly denotes a Cat-like resemblance — a similitude due,, 
perhaps, partly to size, certain tints of colouring, a peculiar arcliing of the back, and the long tail 
carried aloft, recalling at once purring Pussy. The tail, a striking feature, is several inches 
longer than the head and body taken together ; it is clothed with abundance of long, soft, 
fluffy hairs, and alternately marked with rings of black and white. The predominant colour of 
the body and legs is chinchilla-grey, with a sprinkling of reddish hairs or rusty wash on the 
back; the under parts, however, are pure white. The cosy covering of delicate woolly fiuv 
shorter than on the tail, stands out, instead of being smooth and sleek. The head is of a 
conical shape ; the flattish depressed oval ears, by no means prominent, are sparsely hairy within, 
and are edged with short white hairs. The muzzle is nearly bald and black ; the eyes are broadly 
encircled by the same colour, the remainder of the head and throat being snow-white. The eye, full,, 
conspicuous, and softly expressive, is of a rich orange hue, with a dark pupil, and the eyebrows are 
represented by a few long black straggling hairs. There is a moustache and beard, but no vibrissa? 
(smellers), as in the Cat-tribe. The hind limb far exceeding the fore-limb in height, mainly causes 
the attitude of back-arching when on the ground. The fore foot is a kind of diminutive flat-nailed 
hand, with a proportionally short thumb, and it is hairy above, but naked below, and all the fingers 
have expanded cushions on their last joints. The hand is not capable of being closely clenched, and 
the thumb reaches only to the middle of the palm. The hind feet are large, and there is a strong great 
* This classification is not that adopted by comparative anatomists, but rather by zoologists. 
