THE LEMUROIDA.
THE GENERA INDRIS AND LEPILEMUR HAPALEMUR.
The Name of the Genus Lemur popularly given to the Group--Lemuroida
the Correct Name--Their Distinctive Characters--Their Hands
and Feet--Ankle-bones--Tail--_Rete Mirabile_--Nostrils--Colour
of the Eye--Ears--Teeth--Brain--Resemblance to Monkeys--Their
Locality--Lemur at Liberty--Its Playfulness--Division of
the Lemurs--Beauties of Madagascar--GENUS INDRIS--Described
by Grandidier--Their Locality--Colour--Fingers--Teeth--THE
DIADEM INDRIS--Specimens at the British Museum--Little
known about it--THE WOOLLY LEMUR--Described by Sonnerat--THE
SHORT-TAILED INDRIS--Distinguished by its Tail--Its Skull--GENUS
LEPILEMUR--Their Teeth--Tail--THE WEASEL LEMUR--THE GREY
LEMUR--Specimens obtained by Pollen--Their Cry.
The forests of Madagascar, of Western and Eastern Africa, and of some
of the Asiatic Islands, are the homes of several kinds of animals
which are not unlike the Monkeys in some respects, but which differ
from them in their habits of life, and, to a certain extent, in their
anatomy. Most of them are in the habit of hiding up all the day, and
of moving with great vivacity at dusk and during the night-time. Their
gliding, noiseless motion amidst the dense foliage of the tropical
woods during the dark hours, and their restless activity in searching
for their food during the short twilight, were considered to resemble
the fitful apparitions of sprites, spectres, and hobgoblins, and hence
Linnæus gave them the name of Lemurs, taking the term from the Latin
(_lemures_), “ghosts.” The name has been adopted popularly, so as
to include all the kinds which, with some structural resemblance to
the Monkeys, are for the most part nocturnal in their habits, and it
really appears to represent the notions which the excessively timid and
superstitious natives of the Eastern Islands have of the malevolent
influence of some of these active and very small creatures, whose
large eyes glare and shine in the dark woods as they rush to and fro
before the extreme darkness of the night commences. The use of the name
has been productive of some confusion, for it was especially given
to one genus or group of kinds which is restricted to the Island of
Madagascar. The genus Lemur, with a species of which most visitors to
the Zoological Gardens are familiar--the Ring-tailed Lemur--by no means
contains all the animals now under consideration, and they have been
arranged under other groups, or genera, and have different names; yet
they are all popularly called Lemurs.
Hence, to avoid this confusion, it is usual to call the genus just
mentioned genus Lemur, and all the others “Lemur-like animals,” and the
Greek word εἶδος (_like_) being added the term _Lemuroida_ is
formed. In scientific language, then, the creatures popularly called
Lemurs are termed _Lemuroida_. Either expression may be used, but if
the familiar one is employed, it is necessary to remember that the word
means other animals besides those of the genus Lemur.
[Illustration: ANUBIS BABOON. (_See pp. 149–150._)
(_From the Living Specimen in the Zoological Gardens, London._)]
The Lemurs, using the popular term in its wide significance, can be
distinguished from the Monkeys and all other animals at a glance. Very
few travellers have the opportunity of observing them when wild,
and enjoying their liberty in their native woods, but every visitor
to the Zoological Gardens in the Regent’s Park may have the chance of
comparing some of them with other animals. This comparison may be made
readily at certain times, but not always, for only a few Lemurs care
to show themselves in broad daylight, and the rest come out of their
little nests in the evening. They are known by hairy “hands” at the
end of the arms and legs, large furry tails, slim furry bodies, long
ears, great staring eyes, and a muzzle like that of a small Fox. At
night-time, when the Baboons, Macaques, Guenons, and American Monkeys
are at rest and asleep, the Lemurs are awake, and rushing and jumping
here and there in their limited space; but during the day-time, when
the Monkey world is most giddy, with one or two exceptions the others
are quiet, and if poked out into daylight look dazed and stupid, and
are only too glad to get into darkness again. The exceptions to these
habits are not numerous. The Night-loving Monkey of South America comes
out to look about at the same time as its neighbour, the Night-loving
Lemur; and the Common, or Ring-tailed Lemur, is always ready to receive
food, or to be noticed in broad daylight, as it goes to bed with
monkeydom in general.
The other animals with which the Lemuroida may be confounded are
such as Squirrels, Weasels, Rats, Cats, and small Kangaroos. Some
Lemuroida have a slight resemblance, in general shape, to some of
these, and their habit of going about hopping on the hind legs tends
to the general likeness; moreover, in some there are front teeth
greatly resembling those of the gnawing, or Rodent animals, and in all
the back teeth are somewhat like those of insect-eating animals, or
_Insectivora_. But a little care will show that all these animals are
sufficiently distinct so as not to be classified with the Lemuroids
in the same group of the animal kingdom. The fact that the Lemuroids
have large thumb-like great toes, which enable the foot to be used as a
hand, is quite sufficient to distinguish them from animals with paws,
and all those mentioned above.
A curious mistake was made by confounding a Lemur with the Sloth (which
is never found out of South America, where also there are no Lemurs) in
the diary of a correspondent to one of the most important newspapers in
the world, and which was read with universal interest, and certainly
with great amusement, during the Ashantee War. He wrote:--
“Sloths (!) of the two-toed variety abound in every part of the
country. At night we always heard them, and much discussion did they
cause. The cry is somewhat like the Nubian Hyena, and I think no
evidence appeared besides this deceiving sound to prove the existence
of Hyenas on the Gold Coast. It is only a monosyllable, _Ka_, repeated
in scale, at longer and longer intervals as it mounts the gamut.
Amongst the last octaves, the creature seems bound to burst. One
listened for the final notes with ridiculous anxiety, lying awake in
the still darkness. _Do_, _re_, _mi_, _fa_, _sol_ passed off easily;
but the _la_ demanded evident exertion, the _si_ exertion greater
still, and so on at lengthening intervals, till one reached the
octaves, which really seemed to split the beast’s throat in utterance.
I once heard a Sloth compass six octaves, but he generally finds his
ultimatum at the third. The native story goes that the animal makes
only a pitiful moaning when on the ground, but no sooner is he arrived
on the tree-top than he utters this piercing cry; and therefore, as
Mr. Bonnat told me, the Ashantees, a quick-witted people, call certain
chiefs of theirs _cocofhoo_, or Sloth, because whilst they were small
men they sang small, but they crow very loud from the ‘stools’ to which
the king thus raised them.... I believe Mr. Winwood Reade shot a fine
Sloth at Mansu. The only specimens I myself saw were two young ones,
both captured by cutting down the tree on which they sat. They had
pretty grey furs, and the same anxious wretched look common to their
family. Those who still credit the old belief about Sloths--if there be
any--would have been much disconcerted to observe the activity these
creatures showed in running up and down the pole to which they were
tied, walking head downwards, of course!”
[Illustration: LEMUROIDS AT HOME IN MADAGASCAR. (_After Grandidier._)]
The Lemuroida as a group have some general characters in common.
Firstly, they are all Quadrumanous, and the hinder thumbs are in
most very large, strong, opposable to the other digits, and capable
of much movement. Furnished also with well-made thumbs on the hands,
they have a great power of grasp, and of clasping boughs and large
creeping plants during their active climbing and jumping. Then there
are special structures on the tips of the fingers; these are flattening
of the tips into disc-or button-shaped pads, on the upper surface of
which is the nail. The skin of these rounded tips covers a cushion of
fat, and is well supplied with sensitive nerves, and hence they are
not only cushions, but extremely fine points of touch. Their use is
evidently connected with the extremely agile boundings, from branch to
branch, during the hours when there is little or no light. The sense of
feeling, then, replaces that of sight to a great extent, and the supply
of nerves is sufficient to excite the muscles of the fingers and hands,
toes and feet, to hold on at the least touch; while the cushions of
fat prevent the extremities from being jarred. These curious tips give
a very clumsy appearance to the digits, even when they are extremely
small. There is a true claw on the second digit (toe) of the foot,
and nails on the other fingers and toes in some Lemuroids, but there
are different arrangements of the claws in others. It is noticed when
several kinds of them are examined, that there is a great difference
in their digits as regards their size and length, and the fourth is
the longest instead of the third, as in man: but sometimes the index,
or first finger, not counting the thumb, is much reduced in size, and
in two forms it is very defective, and only a little knob remains to
show its position; but this apparent deformity has something to do with
their method of life. The thumbs are well formed, and so are the third,
fourth, and fifth digits, the index being as just mentioned, and the
result is to divide the hands, as it were, into two opposing portions,
giving a grasp like that of the climbing birds--the Parrot, for
instance. These kinds of Lemuroida creep slowly towards their prey, and
clasp the branches firmly before they jump on the insect they desire
to catch. Besides these peculiarities of the hands and feet, which,
moreover, are supplied in every joint with tendons and muscles of great
motive power, the fore-arm is capable of turning the wrist forwards or
backwards, or, as it is called, rotating, and also of bending. Again,
the upper arm is loosely but firmly attached to the shoulders and neck,
so as to admit of great range of motion, so what with the bending and
rotation of the fore-arm, and the mobility and cushioned state of the
fingers, these creatures possess a wonderful apparatus, suited for
extreme action and safe holding on. The ability to rest on the hind
legs and jump like a Kangaroo (see page 5), which is peculiar to some
kinds, depends also upon peculiar structures. The ankle-bones are very
long in these, so long, indeed, as to make the foot resemble that
of a Frog when jumping more than that of any other animal. The long
ankle-bone acts as part of a lever, and enables the muscles of the back
of the leg to act on the foot so as to project the creature high in the
air, or for many feet from one bough to another, or along the ground.
There is nothing like this in the Monkeys. Now, the woolly fur of the
Lemuroids, and their cylindrical woolly tails, at first sight appear
to be encumbrances to an active animal which lives in the tropics, but
they are all extremely chilly creatures, and love heat; moreover, it
is possible that severe falls may be rendered less injurious by the
deadening influence of a soft fur. The tail is a wonderful apparatus
in some kinds, and barely exists in others, being, however, never
prehensile even when longest and strongest. Probably it is used as a
kind of adjuster of movements in rapid exercise, and certainly it is
a great comfort to many, for several kinds like to curl it over their
backs, or round their necks, like a sable boa, whilst they are asleep,
or basking in the sun. In one kind it is supplied with a marvellous set
of tendons, and, indeed, to such an extent of complexity, that it would
appear that Nature had lavished mechanical appliances to every joint
without any very definite use. It is remarkable that in those Lemuroida
which have no tail, or barely a trace, there is a curious arrangement
of the blood-vessels. The limbs in these kinds are not supplied with
main arteries, and veins with long branches, but the blood-vessels
form a closely-packed set of tubes of very small size. This network,
in the language of science, is called a _rete mirabile_, “a wonderful
network,” for such it is. Curiously enough this arrangement of the
blood-vessels is found in some totally different animals, whose
movements are very slow and cautious, such as the Sloths, for instance.
Equally slow are the movements of some of the kinds of Lemuroida which
possess this interesting structure. It has been suggested that this
novel division and subdivision of the blood-vessels tends to produce
slowness of movement, and it may be said in a general way that the
active Lemuroida and active animals of other orders do not have a _rete
mirabile_.
[Illustration: HEAD OF INDRIS (PROPITHECUS) VERRAUXII, TO SHOW LEMUROID
NOSTRILS. (_After Grandidier._)]
Some Lemuroids have short, and others have long muzzles, and there
is great variety in the shape of the head. Evidently those with long
noses have a very fine sense of smelling, and the whole of the members
of the sub-order have a peculiar twist in the outside nostril, which
distinguishes them from the Monkeys of both the Old and the New World.
This twist was thought to be of great importance in classifying the
Lemuroida in the animal scale, and they are often at the present day
termed “Strepsirhini,” from the Greek words which mean curved nostril.
Some scent out insects and grubs under the bark of trees, and all
use this sense in searching for food by night. There are some long
hairs about the upper lip and cheeks like those of a Cat, and these
“smellers” are doubtless extremely sensitive to touch, and although
they do not assist the sense of smelling, they help the animals in
avoiding danger in their movements through the dark underwood.
The colour of the iris (the membrane around the pupil of the eyes) is
very beautiful in most, and as the eye is large and staring, it is well
seen. Sometimes the pupil is round, but in some kinds it is a slit, as
it is in the domestic Cat, for instance, and this shape has much to
do with their nocturnal habits. The iris moves in two directions, and
makes the pupil either larger or smaller; and the importance of this
gift is, that whilst a small pupil admits only a very slight quantity
of light into the body of the eye, a large one allows a great amount
to enter; hence, at eventide the pupil dilates, or, in other words,
the iris acts so as to enlarge it, and all the light possible enters,
but in sunlight the pupil contracts, even to a point, the iris moving
so as to shut out the superfluous and injurious illumination. The
nocturnal kinds require a very dilatable pupil, for they move often in
comparative darkness, and when the least ray of light is of benefit to
them. Besides this structure, there is another which has to do with
husbanding, and making the most of faint light. If the eyes of a Lemur
are examined a little carefully, they will be found to glare with a
very metallic lustre in certain lights, just as those of a Dog and Cat.
It appears that in certain animals, and in the Lemuroids, there is a
peculiar layer within the eye which looks coloured; but really it is
only very finely marked by fibres, which decompose the common white
light into its primitive colours, in the same manner as the extremely
delicate markings invisible to the naked eye on mother-of-pearl produce
the well-known beautifully iridescent tints. This layer is behind
the sensitive layer of the eye, and it acts as a concave reflector,
collecting the slightest glimmers, and making them of use. The membrane
is called the tapetum. It has been noticed that there is a difference
in the expression of the eyes of the Lemuroids and Monkeys, and
certainly these last have the advantage of showing their impudence,
malice, and fear in their beautiful organs of sight.
[Illustration:
EYE OF LEMUROID, SHOWING CONTRACTION AND DILATATION OF PUPIL.
(_Original, after Murie._)]
The ears of some Lemuroida are small, but in the majority not only are
they large, but they possess singular powers of movement, and in some
can be folded up. The sense of hearing is undoubtedly acute in the
nocturnal kinds, and their capacious ears are of immense importance to
them, for they have to discover their prey by their sense of smell and
sight, and also to be on the alert against their natural enemies.
There is a singular want of sameness in the teeth of the Lemuroida, and
several kinds, which apparently lead the same sort of lives, and eat
the same food, have different arrangements of the cutting and grinding
teeth. Sometimes the front teeth fall out when the second set is cut,
and are not replaced, and in the Aye-Aye they act as perfect chisels.
As a rule, in all kinds, the lower front teeth project horizontally
forwards from the jaw, and somewhat resemble in their direction those
of the Marmosets, but the upper ones are straight. As the Lemuroida
live easily and perform movements of very much the same character
year after year, their brains are not much called upon. They are not
as tractable or as intelligent as Monkeys, and although their muscles
act with vigour and ease, still they are not required to perform the
actions which are regulated by the superior intelligence of the Apes.
Hence it is not to be expected that the brain of the Lemuroida will be
as well developed as that of the Ape or Monkey. It is, in reality, not
so bulky, and not so convoluted. The brain is low in height, longer
than broad, and does not cover the cerebellum. Finally, the young
Lemuroida are nourished within their parent through a placenta, which
is diffuse, and more or less disc-shaped, and therefore unlike that of
the animals already described, and of man.
They have a peculiarity about the under part of the tongue, namely,
beneath its tip there is a fringe of scaly flesh, the free ends of
which, when the mouth is shut, fit in between the front teeth. Its use
is unknown, but some have said that it is to keep the back of the teeth
and the spaces between them clean.
[Illustration: UPPER SURFACE BRAIN OF LEMUR CATTA.
(_Original, after Murie._)]
It is their general shape, and the possession of what may be called a
toe-thumb, which makes the Lemuroids resemble Monkeys, but the likeness
is not with those of the Old World, but with the furry Marmosets, with
long canine and projecting front teeth, of the New World. But although
there are these points of resemblance, the intelligence of the Monkey
is far in advance of that of the Lemur, and this can be well estimated
when their eyes are compared. In the Monkey the eye is very movable,
full of varying expression, and often has the aspect of supreme cunning
and mischief; but this is never the case in the others, whose fixed,
staring eyes have no speculation in them.
Differing as they do from the world of Monkeys, the Lemuroida still
resemble them as a whole, more than they do any other animals,
and therefore they are associated with them in the scheme of
classification. They belong, therefore, with the Monkeys, and man, to
the _Primates_, and as they present important differences from the
Monkeys, they are classified in a separate sub-order of the Primates.
This sub-order is called the Lemuroida, a term which has already been
explained. Some zoologists, impressed with their great resemblance to
the Apes, have called them the Half Apes, and others, looking upon them
as the forerunners of the Monkeys, term them Pro-Simia.
[Illustration: SIDE VIEW AND UNDER SURFACE OF THE TONGUE OF A LEMUROID.]
The Lemuroida live in very out-of-the-way places, and the majority are
in Madagascar, which is an island very little visited by Europeans,
and where some naturalists have studied them and their habits under
great difficulties. The skins of captured specimens have been stuffed,
and a few living kinds have found their way to England; hence there
are some fine groups of stuffed Lemuroida in the British Museum, and
some living species in the Zoological Gardens. Marvellous stories, of
course, abound amongst the natives regarding their tricks and habits,
and the sober truth has been very difficult to distinguish from error,
especially as the night is the scene of their gaiety. Nevertheless,
during the last few years much knowledge has come to hand about these
interesting creatures, and it has been rendered all the more important
by the labours of the comparative anatomists, who have dissected many
kinds of them, and described their results.
There is no doubt that at first sight they are uninteresting. Many
sleep most of the day, as a rule, and they cannot be got out of their
snug little dens in the Zoological Gardens during visiting hours
except by force, and then they look dazed and stupid. But a careful
observation opens out much that is extremely interesting in their
habits, and shows how remarkably their limbs and bodies are adapted for
a singular and nocturnal life. Take an example:--Some Lemuroida, which
live in Caffraria and South-eastern Africa, are called “Galagos” by the
natives, and the name has been adopted by zoologists. One of these is
of an uniform dark brown colour, and the tail is long, cylindrical, and
woolly, the ears being large, rounded, and black, and it is called the
Black, or Garnett’s Galago. There is nothing to be made of its habits
during the day, but if any one is affected with sleeplessness, and
desires a domestic pet that would enliven the dreary midnight hours,
then forthwith let him purchase a specimen, if possible a pair of them.
They will rest quietly enough and contented in their berths during
the day, but only let them have freedom in the chamber for a while
at night, with a Cat or Dog for companion, and, _presto!_ the dull
hours will be merry. The following is Mr. Bartlett’s (Superintendent
of the Zoological Gardens) experience in a letter addressed to one of
us:--“The other night I took an opportunity of letting one of these
interesting creatures--Garnett’s Galago--have his liberty in my room,
and I assure you I was well repaid by his performance. Judge my utter
astonishment to see him on the floor, jumping about _upright_ like a
Kangaroo, only with much greater speed and intelligence. The little
one sprang from the ground on to the legs of tables, arms of chairs,
and indeed on to any piece of furniture in the room; in fact, he was
more like a sprite than the best pantomimist I ever saw. What surprised
me most was his entire want of fear of Dogs and Cats. These be boldly
met and jumped on at once, and in the most playful manner hugged and
tumbled about with them, rolling over and over, hanging on their tails,
licking them on the head and face. I must add, however, that now and
again he gave them a sharp bite, and then bounded off, full of fun at
the noise they made in consequence of the sly nip he had inflicted.
This active trickery he never appeared to tire of; and I was myself so
pleased on witnessing the droll antics of the creature that the night
passed and it was near daybreak before I put a stop to his frolics
by catching and consigning him to his cage. In bounding about on the
level ground, his jumps, on the hind-legs only, are very astonishing,
at least several feet at a spring, and with a rapidity that requires
the utmost attention to follow. From the back of a chair he sprang,
with the greatest ease, on to the table, four feet distance. He was
delighted with a little wooden ball, which he rolled about and played
with for a considerable time, carrying it in one hand while he hopped
and skipped about in high glee. He eats fruits, sweetmeats, bread, and
any kind of animal substance, killing everything he can pounce upon and
overpower. This strong and active little brute thus eats his prey at
once, as I had proof in an unfortunate Sparrow which he unmercifully
devoured head first.”
Another pair of these Galagos, since kept in the Society’s Gardens, at
dusk and nightfall behave quite as actively. Most unwillingly are they
poked out of their comfortable sleeping-box during the day, or even
when becoming dark, until they hear the keeper sounding all visitors
out, and quietness reigns. Immediately, then, they are full of life,
and utter an extraordinarily loud and prolonged ka-ka-ing yell, a sort
of _feu-de-joie_. From even till morn there follow unceasing motion and
occasional ejaculation, until, on the appearance of the keeper, they
retire to rest.
[Illustration: GARNETT’S GALAGO.]
The number of the Lemuroida is considerable, and they have been grouped
in at least twelve genera, and these, again, have been arranged in
families. These will be classified by-and-by. It is extremely difficult
in many instances to distinguish one kind or species from another, in
consequence of the great sameness of shape, and the fact that the same
individual has a different coloured coat at various times of his life,
and that the males and females of the same kind are often differently
coloured.
It will be seen, on reading the description of the Monkeys in the
first chapters, that they can be arranged not only by their peculiar
structures into grand groups, but by the particular parts of the world
they inhabit. Hence they have been divided into those of the Old and
of the New World. Now, something of the same kind may be done for the
Lemuroida, but not quite as perfectly. There are six genera of them
living in Madagascar, three in Africa, and three in the great Asiatic
Islands and Hindostan. But although some of those of one locality
are very distinct from those of others, it is not always so, and one
Madagascar and one African group present close resemblances, and,
curiously enough, two West African genera are classed close to two
whose kinds live in Ceylon, Hindostan, and the island of Borneo.
No Lemuroid has ever been found in the New World, or in Australia.
It will then be convenient, in order to avoid too much anatomical
description, to separate at first the Lemurs geographically, and the
first to be noticed are those of Madagascar.
As yet very little is known about the natural beauties of the great
island of Madagascar. Very few books have been written about it,
and nearly all of them are devoted to descriptions of the manners,
customs, and religions of the different tribes. In fact, missionary
work and political enterprise rendered the publication of such works
necessary, and, with rare exceptions, the beauties of Nature, and
the interesting fauna and flora, were treated with neglect.[115]
Moreover, the jealousy of the governing powers prevented many of those
travellers, who were competent to observe Nature and to appreciate her
beauties, from exploring large tracts of the island. Descriptions,
then, of the characteristic scenery, and of the habits of most of the
animals of Madagascar, are exceedingly scarce; and, indeed, those which
do exist cannot all be believed, for one geographer, whose work teems
with lively anecdotes, and with illustrations of forest and upland, is
stated by a later writer never to have left the eastern coast.
It appears, however, that the scenery of the great island is very
varied. There is a long line of sea-coast, which is fertile in some
places, but very sterile and unprofitable in the south especially.
This coast-line limits the forest land, which forms a belt around
the higher mountains of the central part of the country, and the
hill or comparatively treeless district is broken and very romantic.
Those who hunt the Lemuroida know that it is useless to seek for
certain kinds everywhere; and, indeed, their experience proves that
each of the different districts of the island has a peculiar little
assemblage of these “Half Apes” amongst its trees. The silence amongst
the woods, where the luxuriance of vegetation is extraordinary, is
most remarkable. It is so different from the noise and motion within
tropical forests in other parts of the world, and it is only at the
end of the day, when the short twilight approaches its close, that the
quiet solemnity of the scene is broken by the cries and agile movements
of the various Lemuroida. The quietude is produced by the absence
of the whole of the Monkey tribes from Madagascar, for they are the
great noise-makers of the forests of other tropical countries, and by
the indisposition of most of the Lemuroids to move by daylight. They
hide themselves in nests of leaves or amongst the densest foliage,
and some seek the tops of the highest trees for safety. They seem to
know that the hunter will seek them by day if possible. But as the
dusk approaches, the quiet, solemn-looking creatures begin to move,
jump, swing, and run along the branches with a wonderful dexterity and
rapidity. They rarely come to the ground, and when they do so, their
gait is clumsy, but up in the trees their motions are graceful and
noiseless. They cry out to each other, and appear to take a delight in
disturbing the echoes of the night, and after eating their fill they
become quieter towards dawn, when they retire to their hiding-places
looking dazed and half-blinded by the light. Some of the kinds called
_Indris_, now about to be described, illustrate these remarks very
well; thus one species is only found in little patches of forest land,
quite in the extreme south of the island, where the country is sandy
and poor, whilst a second is found in the north-east of the island
amongst the luxuriant woodland. Some keep to the districts where the
bamboos abound, much to the disgust of the hunter, for the covert is
thick, and the leaves very destructive to clothing. Probably it is the
difficulty in trapping and shooting some kinds, and their night-life,
which gives them a superior intelligence in the eyes of the natives,
who hold some which are very man-like, having no tail, or only just a
stump, in great veneration.
GENUS INDRIS.
The distinguished traveller of Madagascar, M. Grandidier, found it
very difficult to obtain much information about these Lemuroids, the
name of which is the same as a native expression of surprise, such
as “Look, there it is!” He undertook a very perilous journey by sea
and land to the south of the island, and there he found the favourite
woods of some, and also in the south-west. He arrived in a coaster,
in June, 1866, off Fort Dauphin in the south-east of the island, and
being blown out to sea, gained the southernmost cape, St. Marie, off
a most inhospitable and arid shore. A long row of sand dunes, without
a trace of vegetation, bounded, in the background, a low coast-line
of rocks, which extended far into the shallow sea, being constantly
hidden by furious waves. Not a trace of man or of dwellings could be
seen. The sand dunes slope towards the sea at a high angle, and are
at least 150 yards high. Their tops are flat, and continue backwards
into the country for some distance. They are composed of broken shells,
and are covered here and there by a stunted spiny vegetation. It was
on the slopes of these dunes that Grandidier found portions of the
eggs of the extinct colossal bird Æpyornis. Beyond the dunes is a vast
plain without even small hills, and covered with a scanty vegetation of
groups of deformed trees; but in the remote distance hills are seen,
and then there are numerous forests.
Some species of Indris live in these stunted forests of deformed trees,
in bands of ten or twelve, and never come to the ground except when
pressed by hunger. When seen under such circumstances, they stand up on
their hind feet, their tail hanging behind them, and they advance by
little hop-like motions, resembling those of a child that jumps with
its feet tied together.
They are nearly white in colour, and are called _Sifac_ by the natives
(page 212), and are looked upon with veneration, for they are not very
unlike very small men in general shape, especially when they stand
erect. In common with all the Indris, they are slim, tall, long-legged
animals, with very strong feet, with a large and well-formed thumb-like
opposable great toe. The head is very furry, and the ears, tufted with
hair, are almost, but not quite, hidden, whilst the muzzle, moderate in
length, projects between the staring eyes. They have a longish neck,
and the body seems to be compressed at the sides. All the fur is soft,
and stands out, and that of the tail makes it like a Fox’s brush, but
is more slim and cylindrical.
But there is a curious arrangement of the fingers, for the index finger
of the hand (that is to say, the first finger, not counting the thumb)
is shorter than the fifth, so that their “fore finger” is a little
finger. The toe-thumb is placed widely from the toes, and rather
backwardly, and the toes are united together by a kind of fold or web
of the skin which reaches up to the first joint; moreover, the first
toe (not including the toe-thumb) has a curved claw on it. They are not
good walkers, any more than the Apes, although, like them, they assume
the erect position, and it is only on very rare occasions, and when it
is necessary to cross a tract of land to get to trees with more fruit
upon them, that they attempt to put the foot to the ground. It is not
their natural position, and they seem to be quite out of their element.
When they come to the ground they rest on the outer edges of the feet,
and soon drop on their hands, on the corresponding parts of which they
support themselves. So walking is performed with difficulty, and not
with grace, and in this they may be compared with the Orangs; but in
the Indris the arms are always shorter than the legs. In the trees and
branches, which are their favourite haunts, they climb easily, rapidly,
and with grace, running along the boughs, jumping to great distances,
and alighting with unerring certainty, and clinging on with wonderful
tenacity. The structure of the muscles, bones, and ligaments enables
them to lead this active arboreal existence, and so strong is their
power of grasp, that it remains sometimes after death, for it has
happened that in shooting them whilst clinging to the branches they
have remained suspended after having been mortally wounded, or dead.
Being dwellers in the foliage of the trees, and amongst the network
of branches, twigs, and creepers, the kinds of Indris have a choice
of many kinds of food. Leaves, buds, fruit, insects, eggs, and small
birds are constantly within their reach, but usually they do not hunt
or chase prey, and are satisfied with the best fruit they can find,
and other vegetable substances. Nevertheless, they do not despise or
reject a bird as something out of the common way of diet, and they open
the skull and suck the brains. The teeth are not very well suited for
stopping and killing living prey, for in the grown-up individuals there
are no lower canines, there being only an upper pair, and thus one of
the most important seizing and killing arrangements is absent. On the
other hand there are plenty of crushing teeth, with sharp points to
them, which enable the Indris to champ fruit without much side to side
movement of the jaw being permitted. There are two false, or premolars
on each side in both jaws, and three molar teeth behind them. Besides
these there are four front teeth in both jaws. In all there are thirty
teeth, a smaller number than in any of the animals yet considered.
The upper front teeth, or incisors (four in number only), project
forwards very slightly, and nearly bite up and down; but the four lower
front teeth (incisors) project well forwards, and the outer pair of
them are sometimes called canines, but their office is plainly the same
as that of the other front teeth. The predominance of the crushing
teeth (there being twenty of them) over those adapted for tearing
flesh, denotes that these animals should have a vegetable diet, and
this requires larger digestive organs, as the food is bulky. So it is
found that the stomach is single, and then there is a very large cæcum,
or blind-gut, which ends in a large intestine, which is very long, and
twisted on itself, so as to form two regular folds, one on the other,
instead of one, as is commonly observed in the higher animals already
noticed; in fact, the arrangement is not very unlike that of the sheep,
whilst the cæcum is on the same scale as that of that great vegetarian,
the Rabbit. These large parts of the digestive apparatus are common to
most vegetable-eating animals, whilst the flesh-eaters have them short
and small.
But the Indris does not begin life with the prospect of being a
vegetarian, for it has a first set of teeth, or milk teeth, as they are
termed, and these are shed to make way for the second, or permanent
set. Now, it is most curious that the young should have more teeth than
the elders, and that were this first set to persist through life, it
would indicate a very mixed-feeding animal. The little ones have no
less than thirty-four teeth, and they have two lower canines, and two
extra lower false molars more than the adults. As age increases all
these first teeth gradually fall out, and are replaced, to a certain
extent, by the second set mentioned above.
[Illustration: SKULL OF BLACK INDRIS, SHOWING ADULT DENTITION.]
[Illustration: MILK DENTITION OF INDRIS. _c_, CANINE, AND _p_,
PREMOLAR, NOT REPLACED IN ADULT.]
Now, what is the meaning of this? Why should the young have a larger
set than the adults? Clearly those of the adult are admirably adapted
for its life, and it is equally evident that those of the young are
of no particular use to them. They are either suckling, or are eating
fruits obtained for them, and do not kill and feed on birds and living
things. It is found that the milk teeth of Indris correspond with the
adult or permanent set of such an animal as the Ring-tailed Lemur,
which belongs to a different genus. Hence the perfect condition of
the teeth of the genus Lemur are the same as the first arrangement
of the teeth in the genus Indris. It tends to prove that there is
some genealogical relationship between the two genera, and that they
were derived from a common ancestor. Moreover, it may be assumed that
the milk teeth of all animals are inherited from a perfect and adult
ancestral form which was less highly organised or constituted.
It is said that the female Indris has but one little one at a time,
and that they are all gentle and timid, being rarely kept for any time
in captivity. They are nocturnal in their habits, and evidently have
extremely sensitive vision, and, like the others which lead this life,
they are protected from many jarring falls by the structure of their
hands and feet.
THE DIADEM INDRIS.[116]
[Illustration: DIADEM INDRIS AND WOOLLY INDRIS. (_After Grandidier._)]
This is a fine species, with a white furry ruff, or crown, on the
forehead and around the face, and it has a long muzzle and body, and
a thick, long tail. It greatly resembles the White Indris, called
_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 Indrisinæ,
are in the British Museum, and it will 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 Cynocephalus, 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 with
the human foot, and that of the Apes. The great toe is wide apart from
the others, and in that it resembles the thumb of a hand; but all the
other bones of the ankle or tarsus are in the same relative position
as they occupy in us. They have the same names. Their foot is very
broad, and this is produced by the extra size of the four front bones
of the ankle, and these form an arch, the three inner ones being more
or less wedge-shaped, and the outer, or fourth, is more or less of a
cube in shape; hence they are called the wedge-shaped (cuneiform) and
cube-shaped (or cuboid) bones. They are jointed in front to the long
bones (metatarsals), and behind to the three other ankle-bones. All
are united more or less solidly by ligaments, and yet there is motion.
Now in this Indris the wedge-shaped bones are large, especially the
second from the inside, or the middle one, and curiously enough this
is small in most other Lemuroids. The large arch formed by these bones
contributes to the strength of the foot.
[Illustration: BLACK OR SHORT-TAILED INDRIS. (_Modified after
Grandidier._)]
The Diadem Indris is found in the forests of the central parts of
Madagascar, and appears to keep apart from other kinds and to roam
about the dense woods in bands.
THE WOOLLY LEMUR--THE AVAHI.[117]
This is one of the long-tailed Indris, and is remarkable for having
long hinder limbs, a long furry tail, a very short muzzle, and a round
head.
It was first described by Sonnerat, in his voyage to the East Indies,
who called it the _Makis à bourre_, or the Woolly Makis. On the
north-east coast, the natives call this Indris the Amponghi, and this
name is given to it in the great forest of Tsasifoutt, which is in the
island of St. Mary, adjacent to Madagascar. This is an interesting
point, for it affords evidence that the island of Madagascar had once
a greater geographical extension, and that St. Mary’s and the other
small islands along the coast were at a former period continuous with
it. These woolly Indris are not frequently caught, or indeed seen at
all, for they hide during the daytime, and sleep curled up amongst the
thick shade of the foliage, or in some comfortable nest in the hollow
of a tree. At night-time they wake up, and eat and play amongst the
trees on which their food grows. They are said to be stupid animals,
but probably, as they have never had their intelligence tested except
when half asleep, they may be quite as intelligent as the other
Lemuroids, and this opinion is strengthened by the fact that the brain
of the _Indris laniger_ is large in proportion to the size of the body;
larger indeed in proportion than the brain of any of the others. It is
this relative size of the great organ of the nervous system which has
impressed some zoologists with the propriety of placing this Indris at
the head of all the Lemuroids, and nearest the Monkeys.
The animals are small in size, and a dried skin measures rather more
than a foot and a half in length, from the muzzle to the root of the
tail, and this latter appendage is thirteen inches long. The head
is broad over the eyes, which are wide apart, and the muzzle barely
projects, and the whole of the face is covered with short hairs of a
reddish-brown tint. There is a distinct band of whitish fur placed
across the top of the forehead, and which has fur before and behind it
of a darker colour than the rest of the hair of the body. This band is
curved, and forms a point which projects forward in the middle line
of the forehead. The fur on the back and flanks of the body is of a
dark grey colour close to the skin, but on its surface the colour is
brown more or less rusty. This is the tint on the extremities, the grey
colour underlying. On the backs of the thighs there are white patches,
and at those spots there is no deep-seated grey tint. The cylindrical
tail is reddish-brown, like the hands and feet. The ears are short and
rounded, and are generally hairy, but not tufted, and they are hidden
in the fur of the head. The nostrils are separated by a narrow septum.
The feet are short and broad, and the claw of the toe is long and
cylindrical.
Although the muzzle is so short, the teeth are set so as to be in a
long row on each side, for the front cutting teeth are not placed
side by side, but in front of each other, and there is a strange gap
between the inner ones in the upper jaw. Then the canine teeth, seen,
of course, only in the upper jaw, are very broad, and the next teeth to
them (the first pre-molars) are as large as they are. This is a marked
peculiarity, and there is no other creature except man that has these
teeth so closely resembling each other. To complete the notice of this
little highly-constructed Indris it is necessary to remark that its
wrist-bones resemble in their number and place those of man and the
higher Apes. The Gibbons and all the other Monkeys have an extra bone
to the wrist, called the _intermedium_, and this is present in the
Indris already noticed, but it is absent in this Avahi, and in the next
kind about to be described.
The next species to be noticed was never included in the so-called
genus Propithecus, as it has only a short stump of a tail, but has
always been taken as the special illustration of the group _Indris_.
THE SHORT-TAILED INDRIS.[118]
This species can be distinguished from all others by its stump-like
tail. It has a long muzzle, visible hairy ears, and generally speaking
the fur is black; it is marked, however, with white hairs on the
fore-arms, back, and hinder quarters. As regards the teeth, there
is some variability in the size of the upper incisors in different
individuals, and the front pair may be smaller or larger than the hind
pair. The inhabitants of Madagascar call it the Babakoto (_baba_ means
“father,” and _koto_, “boy”). This Indris, which attains the height of
three feet, is found in the interior of the east of Madagascar; and
when Vinson travelled through one of the great forests in that part of
the island, he was constantly annoyed by the incessant noise made by
numerous bands of them, which kept themselves, however, out of sight,
and hidden in the dense foliage. The natives consider the Babakoto
sacred, and believe that the trees on which they live yield leaves
which will cure all diseases. Moreover, they tell some astonishing
stories about these objects of their veneration. They say that it is
dangerous to cast a spear at one of them, for, if it misses its mark,
the animal returns the weapon with a surer aim! They also assert that
after a little one is born, the mother throws it to the father, who is
usually up a tree close by, and he throws it back again! This exercise
is repeated several times; and if the young one is invariably caught
it is reared with care, but if it tumbles, there is an end of it. They
train the Babakoto to catch birds; and it is said that they become as
useful as Dogs; moreover, it appears that, although these Indris are in
the main fruit-eaters, they will not despise the brains of birds, which
they suck with evident delight.
The skull of an Indris has large orbits, which are open behind into
the space in which the temporal muscle works, and the “tear-canal” is
in front of the orbit; moreover, the forehead, or frontal bone, is
divided. The lower jaw has its angle, or the part between that which
holds the teeth and that which rises up to be jointed with the skull,
turned in, and the upper jaw in front is joined by the intermaxillary
bones.
GENUS LEPILEMUR.
An animal which has no upper front teeth is certainly a curiosity,
especially when its general state and habits resemble those of the
other Indris and Lemuroids, and the Lepilemur is such a one. It is
found in Madagascar, and it is interesting on account of the variable
nature of the colour of the fur in different individuals, as well as
from the nature of its teeth and its habits. It differs, however, so
much from all the other Lemuroida, that it is placed by itself in a
genus, and the distinctions are that when fully grown it has no upper
front teeth, although it has them in the first, or milk set, and that
it has also four teats for its young instead of two, as is the case in
all the animals hitherto noticed. The name refers to its prettiness,
and hence the genus is called _Lepilemur_.
This creature, considering its size, has an immense tail, as it is ten
inches long, the head and trunk measuring only fourteen, and the whole
animal forms a nice little meal for the natives of the north-west of
the island. They call it Fitili-Ki, and as it eats the buds and leaves
of trees it has a good flavour as a meat; hence it is sought after, but
not hunted, for that is unnecessary. Knowing its habits the natives
watch it, and, when it has left off playing and scampering about with
its fellows (for it is very sociable), notice where it retires as
daylight appears. There they find their prey quietly asleep, curled up
in a comfortable nest of leaves, and they kill it with a stick. Hunting
them would be useless, for they are quite nocturnal in their habits,
and their activity in moving, and agility in taking prodigious bounds
and jumps, are wonderful. Indeed, their body seems to be carefully
made as strong as possible to meet the strains of their jumping, and
there is a ridge of bone in the bodies of some of the vertebræ which
strengthens the spine as a whole; moreover, the relation of the length
of the ankle-bones and of the lower leg is that which is best adapted
to their heedless rushings from branch to branch through the woods.
Their nightly excursions for fruit and play are rendered all the more
safe by their great eyes and widely open orbits, but how the eating the
fruit is assisted by the want of the upper front teeth may probably
puzzle most people. Perhaps the diet may require a greater use than is
usual of the back teeth, and the lower ones are peculiar, for their
front part is carried forward outside the next tooth before them in the
jaw, giving thus much extra strength to the whole. This Weasel Lemur,
or _Lepilemur mustelinus_, has fair-sized ears, and its colours are of
all sorts of shades of red, grey, white, and yellow.
These animals hide their little ones, which do not get about much at
first, in nests made in the holes in trees.
Another Lemuroid excited the attention of the members of one of the
political missions, which was sent from the island of the Mauritius
to the capital of the Hovas, in mountainous Central Madagascar. This
animal was found in some numbers in the bamboo forests, which skirt the
hills at their base, and many were caught in that of Alamazaortra. It
seemed to live in the masses of bamboo leaves, and to wander about them
by night, sleeping and resting by day in the deepest part of the woods.
It is small, and has a short muzzle and a round head, and a long tail,
the prevailing colour being grey, with red tints here and there on the
back and head, which are paler below. It is a variable species, and
some individuals are more olive than grey, but all have such peculiar
teeth that they can be distinguished from all others of the sub-order.
They have upper and lower front teeth, but the upper set are very
small, and are so placed that the canine teeth hide the outer ones;
besides this character there are four teats instead of two.
[Illustration: WEASEL LEMUR. (_After Schlegel and Pollen._)]
M. Pollen, a well-known naturalist, says that the natives of the
north-west of Madagascar call it the Bokomboule, and in Europe it
has been named the Grey or Broad-nosed Lemur, the genus being called
Hapalemur, and hence its proper name of _Hapalemur griseus_. The word
Hapalemur means Gentle Lemur (from ἁπαλός, soft, gentle), and this
appears to be their character. Hearing of their presence in the bamboo
forests, M. Pollen wished to go there to hunt them, but he was strongly
urged not to do so on account of the fatigue of the sport, and the
difficulties likely to arise from the spines, thorns, and sharp leaves,
which readily produce wounds. He went, and after being well scratched
and cut about, he returned with some specimens. The Hapalemurs sleep
during the whole of the day rolled up, with the back curved, and the
head between the thighs, the tail being curled over the back; but
they are not so sleepy that they cannot escape from the hunter who
seeks them. Idle enough by day, they exhibit a wonderful agility and
disposition to romp and play at night. Their cry is like the grunt of
a little Pig, and the greater part of their nourishment is derived
from bamboo-leaves. One, which was kept by M. Pollen in captivity, ate
bananas, but would touch rice only when it was half starved, and it had
the strange propensity so often observed in some tame Monkeys of biting
its tail.
The next group of the Lemuroids is that which has given the name to the
whole sub-order.
[Illustration: GREY OR BROAD-NOSED LEMUR. (_After Schlegel and
Pollen._)]