THE LEMUROIDA (_concluded_)--THE GALAGOS.[129]
THE GALAGOS--DEMIDOFF’S GALAGO AND THE MOUSE GALAGO--THE SENEGAL
GALAGO--THE SENNAAR GALAGO--THE MAHOLI GALAGO--THE GRAND,
OR THICK-TAILED GALAGO--MONTEIRO’S GALAGO--THE AFRICAN SLOW
LEMURS--VAN BOSMAN’S POTTO--GENUS ARCTOCEBUS, OR BEAR MONKEY
TRIBE--THE ANGWÁNTIBO--THE ASIATIC SLOW LEMUROIDS--THE SLOW
LORIS--THE SLENDER LORIS--GENUS TARSIUS--THE SPECTRE TARSIER,
OR TARSIUS--THE MALMAG--GENUS CHEIROMYS--THE AYE-AYE--The
Puzzle of the Naturalists--Opinions regarding it--Specimen
Examined by Owen--Feeding--Teeth--Hands--Classification of the
Lemuroida--Geographical Distribution.
These Galagos are most interesting, lively creatures, and they have
wonderful ears, which are long, large, and elliptical, and can be
furled up if the animals become frightened. Moreover, they have a long
heel-bone, and the tail, often bushy, either equals or is longer than
the trunk.
DEMIDOFF’S GALAGO AND THE MOUSE GALAGO.[130]
The distinction between these kinds is not very definite, but they are
inhabitants of the West Coast of Africa, namely, Senegal, Calabar,
and the Gaboon. The Rev. W. C. Thomson’s account in a letter to Mr.
Murray of what he suspects to be really and truly _G. Demidoffii_ and
_G. murinus_ is well worth quotation. “Young ones of both species
were brought to us about this period of the year (July 26). Mr. Robb
has a young specimen of the smaller species just now, and about this
time last year I became possessed of one of the larger. It is a most
interesting and amusing pet, not only quite tame, but manifesting
strong attachment. I had it for about six weeks in my possession, when,
unfortunately, both for myself and it, it took a false leap into a
water-canal and was drowned. It was a very epitome of zoology, of the
size and colour of a large Rat; it had the tail of a Squirrel, the
facial outline of the Fox, the membranous ears of the Bat, the eyes
and somewhat the manners of the Owl in its cool odd way of peering at
objects, the long slender fingers of a lean old man, who habitually
eats down his nails, and all the mirthfulness and agility of a
diminutive Monkey. It hated its cage at night, but delighted to leap
upon the bars of the chairs ranged purposely round the table for it. It
could clear a horizontal distance of at least six feet at a leap; and
whenever it fell, as during its short apprenticeship it often did, and
from alarming heights too, it gave expression of its apparent chagrin
by a rough sort of purring. It possessed a curious power of folding its
membranous ears back upon themselves, and somewhat corrugating them at
pleasure; and it appeared to me that the palms of its hands and feet
were endowed in some degree with the power of suction, such as the
Walrus is said to possess in perfection. I have seen it maintain itself
in positions where the mere lateral pressure of its limbs appeared
to be inadequate for the purpose. I once applied it to the side of a
cylindrical glass shade, of which it could not embrace so much as a
third of the circumference, and sure enough it maintained its position
for some time, gradually sliding down until it gave way. The palm was
very much depressed, always clean and glistening, surrounded by five
papilliform growths, those near the roots of the fingers serving as
points of opposition to them, the fingers never closing beyond the
palm. Mr. Robb had one of your species (_G. murinus_) in his possession
for a considerable while. It devoured Grasshoppers, and even the fierce
Mantides (leaf insects), greedily, as well as Moths, little as it was;
but I never saw my kind muster courage enough to attack a Grasshopper
or _Mantis_, though nearly twice as large as Mr. Robb’s. No doubt mine
would, by-and-by, have become less particular and more daring. The
smaller species was very familiar, and used to run over people with
perfect freedom. A favourite place of refuge was under his whisker, and
between it and his shirt collar.” According to the same correspondent,
the little ones breed in captivity, but never grow more than about
three or four inches long in the body; the larger kind, he says, within
a year grow to six or seven inches long, or equal to a big Rat. Their
voices differ, the larger animal’s tone being lugubrious. He further
says that the little creatures (_G. murinus?_) are gregarious or social
in their wild state, travelling in small companies, and inhabiting a
common nest, one of which he himself got a glimpse of. He saw several
individuals rush out of it as he passed, and it answered in its
situation and description to the account he had received of them, which
was, that they were built on suitable forks of trees, with a foundation
of clay and superstructure of dried leaves.
[Illustration: EARS OF MAHOLI GALAGO, CONTRACTED AND OPEN.
(_Original after Murie._)]
THE SENEGAL GALAGO.[131]
This is interesting from being the earliest known species of
true Galago, and also as apparently having the widest range of
geographical distribution. It is but a very little larger than the
full-grown species mentioned above, and has fawn-grey fur above, and
yellowish-white beneath, with dark-brown feet and tail, and a white
stripe on the face. It is common in the Senegal forests, even to the
borders of the great Sahara Desert. Its habits in no way differ from
the other Galagos’, though it is asserted that when pressed by hunger
it feeds on the gum-arabic, plentiful in the acacia trees of its
native forests. Its eagerness in the capture of insect prey is well
attested. It pursues Beetles, Sphinges, and Moths with great ardour,
even while they are on the wing, making prodigious bounds at them, and
often leaping right upwards to seize them. Should it by chance miss
its object and accidentally fall from the branch to the ground, it
re-ascends with the rapidity of flight to renew the hunt. In captivity
it freely eats chopped meat, eggs, and milk. Although good-tempered in
confinement, it nevertheless is vivacious and petulant. At night it is
always on the move, and if the occasion arises, darts off to the woods
without a moment’s delay. The Moors say its flesh is good eating.
[Illustration: THE MUSCLES AND TENDONS OF THE TAIL OF GRAND GALAGO.
(_Modified after Murie and Mivart._)]
The so-called Sennaar Galago[132] by some is held to be a different
species, but by many is only deemed a variety of the preceding. This
animal is plentiful on the wooded banks of the White Nile, and is
spread over the forest tracts in Kordofan, and in the same latitudes
to the Blue Nile in Sennaar, bordering Abyssinia. By the native name,
“Camimdi,” it is also well known in the interior of the East African
Coast, viz., above Tete near the Zambesi River. If, moreover, the
Maholi Galago, as certain authorities believe, is but a variety of the
same, then the Senegal Galago ranges over nearly three-quarters the
length and breadth of Africa.
[Illustration: FOOT-BONES OF GRAND, OR THICK-TAILED GALAGO.
(_Altered after De Blainville._)]
THE MAHOLI GALAGO.[133]
Originally discovered and described by the late Sir Andrew Smith in
his “South African Zoology,” this is one of the most charming and
interesting little creatures imaginable. The general colouring of the
upper parts is a yellowish or brownish-grey, with slightly darker
brindling on the back, a broad nose-streak, cheeks and throat white,
and a tinge of yellow intermixed with the white of the belly and inside
of the limbs. The great tender-looking eyes are of a deep topaz yellow;
the ears, flesh-tint inside and downy-white outside, are very big, and
betimes are rapidly folded together like those of Garnett’s Galago,
giving the creature great variety of expression. The head is somewhat
globular, with a short, high, almost pointed nose. The delicate woolly
fur of the body lengthens and darkens on the tail, most so towards its
end. Smith observes that they spring from branch to branch, and tree
to tree, with extraordinary facility, and always seize with one of
their fore-feet the branch upon which they intend to rest. In their
manners they manifest considerable resemblance to Monkeys, particularly
in their propensity to the practice of ridiculous grimaces and
gesticulations. It spends the daytime in the nests which it forms for
itself in the forks of branches, or in the cavities of decayed trees;
and in these nests the females also produce and rear their young, of
which there are generally two at a birth. Sir John Kirk found it common
among the hills of Kebrabassa, Batoka, and Nyassa, in East Africa. He
says, singly and in pairs they came about the camp-fires at night, and
in the dim light resembled a Bat in movements, by crossing from side
to side, at single leaps, distances of six feet. A pair which lived
a few years ago in the Zoological Gardens were a most interestingly
tender couple. The day saw them nestled lovingly in their little box,
and as night wore on they would peep out and cautiously and by stealth
venture into their more spacious cage. Creeping down the branch, which
served as a ladder, so noiselessly that not a movement could be heard,
they would suddenly spring hither and thither, not like ordinary
quadrupeds, but in a manner only to be compared with the leap and dart
of a Tree Frog (_Hyla_). Approaching a dish of Meal-worms laid out
for them, they would snap them up with their forepaws so quickly that
the eye could not follow the motion; this rapidity of action equalled
the Chamæleon’s tongue, whose protrusion and withdrawal baffles the
eye, the fly gone being the main fact the observer is cognisant of.
They seemed heartily to enjoy the Meal-worms, these being dainties in
comparison with their ordinary food, which was sopped bread, rice and
milk, and fruit. They were much more timid creatures than the impudent,
rollicking Garnett’s Galago,[134] whose habits were noticed in the
beginning of our description of the Lemuroids. Neither were they by any
means as noisy; indeed they seldom if ever uttered a sound, and that
was only a subdued warning note. As regards their Monkey-like gestures,
hinted at by Smith, this pair never showed any, their manner being
rather Squirrel-like than otherwise. Occasionally a hasty contraction
or curling together of each capacious ear simulated the scared grimace
of a Monkey, but this action was one of surprise or timidity, and not
that of the drollery and mischief of Monkey habit. On the whole, these
Maholi Galagos appear to be animals of lower intelligence than the
Monkey tribe.
[Illustration: MONTEIRO’S GALAGO.
(_From a Photograph by Murie._)]
THE GRAND, OR THICK-TAILED GALAGO.[135]
This handsome animal comes from both East and West Africa south of the
Equator, and is about as large as a Cat, with a great bushy tail some
three or four inches longer than the body. This appendage it carries
aloft very majestically, or swerves it to and fro as a kind of rudder
in climbing, occasionally sweeping it along the back and belly, or
curling it around the body after the manner of the Lemurs. Being
nocturnal in its habits, the eyes, which are large, and with great wide
dark pupils and a brown-red iris, have a glassy, glimmering appearance
in daylight, but look like balls of fire at night. The ears are a
remarkable feature: about a third shorter than the head, they stand
out like great, flattish, elliptical-mouthed trumpets, ever changing
position and shape, and catching all sounds, and they are nearly bare
within and slightly hairy outside. This animal has fur of a uniformly
dark brown, and this colour mainly distinguishes it from
MONTEIRO’S GALAGO.[136]
This short description of the Thick-tailed Galago in a great many
respects answers to another, which merits the title of “Grand,” if
dimensions a grade larger deserve it. One was obtained at Cuis Bay,
south of Loanda, and was conveyed to England in the living state, being
supposed to be only a pale variety of the last-mentioned species. The
only visible difference from the latter seems to be that of colour,
even this slightly varying. It is of a light chinchilla-grey all over,
save the tail and the throat, which are nearly white. The nose is black
and bare, and the feet are deep brown. The entire length of the animal
is twenty-eight inches, whereof the tail is sixteen. The ears are a
couple of inches long, and blackish. Mr. Bartlett remarks that when
these are thrown forwards they give the head a resemblance to that of
the Aye-Aye; but when they are folded back and down the physiognomy
approaches that of the Douroucouli. Sir John Kirk (who accompanied
Dr. Livingstone) says: “While the _G. maholi_ is peculiar to the
interior, where its geographical range seems to be great, the other,
or Great-tailed Galago (_G. Monteiri_), is confined to the maritime
region--so far as I know, never penetrating beyond the band of wood
known generally as the mangrove forests. By the Portuguese it is named
‘Rat of the Cocoa-nut Palm,’ that being its favourite haunt by day,
nestling among the fronds; but if it be disturbed, performing feats
of agility, and darting from one palm to another. It will spring with
great rapidity, adhering to any object as if it were a lump of wet clay.
[Illustration: PALM OF HAND OF GARNETT’S GALAGO.
(_Original after Murie._)]
[Illustration: SOLE OF FOOT, WITH LONG HEEL, OF GARNETT’S GALAGO.
(_Original after Murie._)]
“It has one failing--otherwise its capture were no easy task. Should a
pot of palm-wine be left on the tree, the creature drinks to excess,
comes down, and rushes about intoxicated. In captivity they are wild;
during the day remaining either rolled up in a ball, or perched half
asleep, with ears stowed away like a Beetle’s wing under its hard and
ornamented case (elytra). I had half a dozen Squirrels with one in
the same cage; these were good friends, the latter creeping under the
‘Golgo’s’ soft fur and falling asleep. On introducing a few specimens
of Shrew (_Macroscelides tetradactylus_), the ‘Golgo’ seized one and
bit off its tail, which, however, it did not eat. The food it took was
biscuit, rice, orange, banana, guava, and a little cooked meat. Stupid
during the day, it became active at night, or just after darkness set
in.
“The rapidity and length of its leaps, which were absolutely noiseless,
must give great facilities to its capturing live prey. I never knew it
give a loud call, but it would often make a low chattering noise. It
has been observed at the Luabo mouth of the Zambesi, at Quilimane, and
at Mozambique. When I had my live specimen at Zanzibar, the natives
there did not seem to recognise it; nevertheless, it may be abundant on
the mainland.”
[Illustration: POTTO IN ITS SLEEPING AND WAKING ATTITUDES. (_Modified
from Alph. Milne-Edwards._)]
Mr. Monteiro tells us that the Loanda specimens have not the character
of being such a drunken lot of creatures, though they are arrant
thieves, but otherwise he corroborates Kirk’s observations. He mentions
that they come in bands, and rob the fruit-trees of the villages. Their
flesh is looked upon as good eating, and their skins are eagerly sought
for, the fur being used to staunch wounds. In allusion to the Galago’s
inebriety, Dr. Gray relates that a friend of his gave a half-grown
Scotch Terrier to a distiller, who soon returned it with the character
of “habit and repute.” The animal could not by any correction be
prevented from drinking the spirit as it came from the still, or any
spirits it could get, and it would stagger and reel about, verifying
the term, “a drunken dog,” so often applied to divine man.
THE AFRICAN SLOW LEMURS.
The rest of the African Lemuroids have not the habits, appearance, and
anatomy of the Galagos, and are a very sad, weird, slow-going set,
totally different from the active, careless kinds already noticed. A
world of care seems to hang around their deliberate movements; they are
images of Sleepy Hollow; they never are seen to spring and rush about,
but ordinarily conduct themselves with great gravity and decorum. Slow
they are, and hence their name the Slow Loris, and their body and
limbs are not made for rapid locomotion. The limbs are nearly equal in
length, their head is globular, and the eyes are uneven. The short ears
and short fur are all of a piece, and so is the short tail (for this
is most common), and the short second or index (counting the thumb as
one) finger. The back or rib vertebræ are fourteen or more, and the
loin-bones are never less than seven. There is a remarkable division
of the blood-vessels of the arms, loins, and legs called the _rete
mirabile_. The vessels split into minute tubes, like hairs in calibre,
but of two sizes, and lie closely adherent to each other in long
parallel lines (see page 245); this arrangement, also termed a plexus,
or plexiform, being similar in kind to what is met with in the Sloth
tribe of South America. The Slow Lemurs inhabit both Africa and Asia,
but are not found in Madagascar, and their mode of life is strictly
arboreal and nocturnal.
The first African genus is _Perodicticus_.
[Illustration: ANGWÁNTIBO. (_Slightly altered after Huxley._)]
VAN BOSMAN’S POTTO.[137]
As far back as the year 1705, while on a voyage to the Guinea coast,
the Dutch navigator, Van Bosman, came across a new and strange little
quadruped which, on his return, he figured and briefly described under
the name of Potto. The colonists knew it as the Bush-dog, and that it
was slothful and retiring, seldom making its appearance except in the
night-time, and then to feed on the cassada and other vegetables. It
is remarkable for its singular hand, which has, as it were, a deformed
forefinger, and for a seeming protrusion of the neck-bones.
Like other tropical night-animals, the home or wild habits of the Potto
have only been loosely studied. It is not restricted to the northern
parts of Guinea, but is found on the Gold Coast and at the Gaboon River
under the Equator. It shows a certain agility at night, clambering up
the most smooth and polished branches with ease. When caught, and in
captivity, one authority says, it sped along the cornices and angles
within the house wherever there was the least elevation from the wall.
Those specimens which have lived in the Regent’s Park Gardens from
time to time have fed on the same kind of food and exhibited no
special differences of habit from the Slow Loris of Asia, presently to
be described, if we except a more intractable disposition; for they
have seemed rather addicted to giving an ugly bite whenever attempted
to be handled, however gently. Mr. Bartlett managed to get one that
showed a more amiable disposition, courting kindly stroking. When
first obtained, it was so young that doubts were entertained of its
surviving, especially as it suffered from the cold weather. To obviate
this a small bag of hare-skin was made, fur inside, and Master Potto
was placed therein. Furthermore, a bitch having whelps on the premises,
one of the latter was put in with the young African for a while, then
another, and so on in rotation, the animal heat of Potto being duly
sustained. The latter clung to the puppies as it would to its mother,
hugging them on the belly so tight that the doggies did not quite seem
to relish their forced companion. This nursing, however, did well, and
Potto was duly reared, and became on the whole good tempered.
[Illustration: HAND AND FOOT OF ARCTOCEBUS.
(_After Huxley, Zool. Soc. Proc._)]
Mr. Skues records having purchased a female at Cape Coast on the 31st
March, 1869, along with its young one, which had been born on the
8th February. They slept all day; the mother usually perched on a
door, with the youngster clasped to her belly, by its fore and hind
extremities. At dusk they came down and wandered about the room all
night. After a time, young Potto scampered hither and thither on his
own account. Milk and bread they refused, but would feed on pine-apples
and bananas, with water. Although there were insects about the room, as
is the case always in tropical climates, the Pottos were never detected
eating them, but one day the mother was found busily munching at a tray
of preserved Beetles. At Accra, circumstances prevented due attention
being given them, and there the young one died aged twenty-two weeks.
The mother survived only six weeks. The negroes seemed to be much
afraid of the Potto, which they called “Aposo,” or “Aposou.” It
inhabits West Africa and the coasts of the Gulf of Guinea.
The hairs on the Potto are longish, soft, and woolly, mouse-coloured
at the base, rusty in the middle, and paler tipped. Hence results a
general chestnut tint, with intermixture of grey, the under surface
being considerably paler. The limbs are nearly of one length; the head
rounded, with slightly-hairy shortish ears, and moderately-projecting
muzzle. The nose and chin are almost naked and flesh-coloured, the
former grooved or nicked in the centre. The eyes are lateral and
oblique, very convex, and with an oblong pupil. The index, or first
finger, is very short, resembling a tubercle.
The nature and number of the teeth indicate a mixed diet, as there are
four incisors above and below, and two canines in the upper and lower
jaw. Then come three pre-molars and three lower grinders on each side
in both jaws.
GENUS ARCTOCEBUS, OR BEAR MONKEY TRIBE.[138]
The next genus is very singular. The species has just the trace of
a tail, and the index finger is reduced to a slight projection, or
tubercle, on which there is no trace of a nail, and the fingers and
toes about the lower joints are united by skin. The ear has two cross
folds, and there are fifteen dorsal back-bones, and seven in the loin
region.
THE ANGWÁNTIBO.[139]
Our knowledge of this curious African species, which comes from West
Africa and Old Calabar, truly a “three-fingered Jack,” is due to
the Rev. A. Robb, when missionary at Old Calabar. From his letter
(December, 1859) accompanying the bottled specimen first transmitted to
England, we gather the following history:--“The Calabar people call it
_Angwántibo_--_angwán_ means a farm, but we do not know the etymology
of the second part of the word, and cannot say whether it arose from
any habit peculiar to the animal. It lives in trees; but, being
nocturnal, the people know exceedingly little about it. They cannot
tell what it eats. A lad whom I asked said that he lived in the house,
and it lived in the bush, how then could he know anything about it?
My Krumen also recognised it as a countryman of theirs. They consider
the one sent as a young one, and say that in their country it grows to
the size of a common puss. Probably theirs is a different animal, but
I cannot tell. They call it _Dwăn_, and say that it lays down the
law to the other beasts, forbidding them to eat the young fruit when it
begins to form on the trees. If the Monkey transgresses, the _Dwăn_
seizes him, and holds him there till he dies--yea, the Monkey rots in
his grasp. They say they are shot together thus. If the Monkey gets
the shot, the _Dwăn_ holds on; if the _Dwăn_ gets the shot, they
fall together. The Krumen say that the _Dwăn_ eats fruit. This is
all we know about it at present; and their (the Krumen’s) account seems
somewhat fabulous.”
[Illustration: SLOW LORIS. (_After Tickell and Alph. Milne-Edwards._)]
Dr. Alexander Smith describes and compares the animal with the Potto.
He mentions the following characters:--Above, yellowish-brown, the
roots of the hairs, dark grey; below, paler, in some parts nearly
white; hair, wool-like; length from muzzle to point of tail, 10½
inches, the tail being only a quarter of an inch long. The body is
slender; the head oval and rounded, with a blunt but protuberant
face; the eyes, full and large; ears, naked within, and with short
hairs externally; nostrils, sinuous, and laterally placed; there is
projecting fold beneath the tongue, as in other Lemuroids, and the
neck is short. The limbs are slender, the hinder a trifle larger and
stronger than the others; both feet and hands conform to those of the
Potto, with, however, a still greater reduction of the index finger.
He observes that the hands and feet are divided, as it were, into two
opposing portions, which he likens to the grasp of such climbing-birds
as the Parrots. This peculiarity, along with the multiple blood-vessel
division of the extremities, he thinks indicative of long-enduring
muscular action, stealthy step, and adaptation for gripping twigs of
trees, rather than for the purpose of capturing a prey.
[Illustration: RETE MIRABILE. (_Original after Murie._)
Greatly magnified, and partly diagrammatic representations of a _Rete
Mirabile_. A. General appearance. B. Cross section of vessels. C. How
the capillary vessels of two sizes join.]
The anatomical peculiarities of the Angwántibo have been lucidly
described by Prof. Huxley in the “Proceedings of the Zoological
Society,” where, from his examination, he substantiates Dr. Gray’s
separation of the animal generically from its African mother the Potto.
THE ASIATIC SLOW LEMUROIDS.--THE SLOW LORIS.[140]
There are two well-marked kinds of these Lemuroida to be met with in
very large districts in the East, and they live in the tropical woods
of Eastern and Southern Hindostan, Ceylon, Burmah, Siam, Cochin China,
the Malay Archipelago, and in the great Islands of Sumatra, Java, and
Borneo. But they do not live together in the same parts.
[Illustration: SLOW LORIS. (_From a sketch by Tickell._)]
The first to be noticed has the widest geographical range, and is to be
found here and there from Hindostan to China, and from Burmah to the
great islands. Hence quite a voluminous history is attached to this
animal, whose singular appearance and habits, peculiar anatomy, and
geographical distribution, have been the fruitful theme for travellers
and naturalists of most European nations. He is called by many names,
and is the Bashful Billy--“Chirmundi Billi”--of the Bengalese, or
the Slow Lemur, and naturalists term him the Slow Loris, or Kukang
(_Nycticebus tardigradus_). When he is turned out of his quarters in
the daytime, he reminds one of a very young, awkward puppy without a
tail. But his eyes, however, are enormous and owl-like, and seem to
start protuberantly forwards with an unmeaning stare. When his wits
return, and the scare ceases, he softly turns on his heel, and with a
very slow, measured pace--hand-over-hand, as sailors term it--makes for
his box. There is a cool, sedate manner about his whole proceedings
which may either be taken for wisdom or stupidity. During the night,
when hungry cravings send him forth on his own account, his eyes light
up, and he seems more alive to his interests, though seldom increasing
the activity of his movements. On a table he waddles like a sailor
newly ashore, but with a rope or bough to grasp, by foot or hand, there
ensues a grip like a vice, a steady mode of ascent putting him betimes
out of reach of danger.
The eye of the Kukang, besides its adaptation to nocturnal vision,
in the presence of a tapetum, or silvery lining to the choroid or
blood-vessel layer, has also a singular manner of closing. Instead
of the eyelids shutting from above downwards, as in the majority of
Mammals, they approach obliquely outwards and inwards. This mode of
closure is entirely due to an inequality in the fleshy fibres which
surround the eyelid, and, together with the large pupil, somewhat
elliptical in shape, produces in daylight a very strange, unmeaning
look. It has a very odd knack of hanging to boughs, body downwards,
and the way in which it is done, asleep or awake, apparently receives
explanation from the mode in which certain of the flexor muscles are
fastened above the knee-joint. Thus, by simple bending of the leg,
the toes are drawn (on bending) together, and hold fast without any
sensible muscular exertion. The mechanism, in fact, is similar in kind
to that which enables birds to perch while slumbering, or by which Bats
adhere to crevices while suspended head downwards. It possesses the
peculiar _rete mirabile_ of blood-vessels already noticed.
Many anecdotes respecting the habits of the Nycticebus in confinement
have hitherto found currency, a similar vein of narrative running
through each. One kept by Mr. Baird some nine months had a preference
for veal, fresh-killed fowls’ necks, sugar, and gum-arabic, cooked
meat being abhorred. Instead of recounting old stories, we append the
following observations of Captain Tickell, not hitherto made public:--
“This animal is tolerably common in the Tenasserim provinces, and in
Arracan, but from being strictly nocturnal in its habits is seldom
seen. It inhabits the densest forests, and never by choice leaves the
trees. Its movements are slow, but it climbs readily, and grasps with
great tenacity. If placed on the ground, it can proceed, if frightened,
in a wavering kind of trot, the limbs bent at right angles, like a
mutilated Spider. It sleeps rolled up in a ball, its head and hands
buried between its thighs, and wakes up at the dusk of evening to
commence its nocturnal rambles. The female bears but one young at a
time. In confinement they are at first savage, bite severely, and in
spite of general slow movements, can do so pretty quickly, uttering
a rough grunt or growl. They, however, get quiet, if not absolutely
docile, in time, and are kept without difficulty, requiring no other
diet than plantains, or any other kind of fruit. They become content
to remain in the smallest box, where another animal would soon pine
and perish for want of exercise. When for a time confined they readily
abandon their nocturnal habits, eat during the day, and rest at
night. They will thus remain contentedly on an old punkah hung in a
lumber-room, for many days; but, unless thoroughly reclaimed, they will
always seize an opportunity during night to escape, never travelling
far, however, and generally turning up in some thicket or bamboo-clump,
or other quiet corner in the grounds. They greedily devour all sorts of
insects, and also birds’ eggs.”
On one occasion Captain Tickell watched an individual crawling along
the floor to seize a Cockroach. When it had approached within ten or
twelve inches, it drew its hind feet gradually forwards until almost
under its chest; it then cautiously and slowly raised itself up into a
standing position, balancing itself awkwardly with its uplifted arms,
and then, to his astonishment, flung itself, not upon the insect, which
was off “like an arrow from a Tartar’s bow,” but on the spot which it
had, half a second before, tenanted (see woodcut). This is its manner,
however, of catching such of its living food as will wait long enough.
Grubs, Caterpillars, and the slower Beetles (_Scarabæi_) are seized in
one or both hands, and slowly carried to its mouth, and there solemnly
munched up; the Nycticebus looking all the time, with its delicate
small muzzle and its protuberant eyes, like one of those apologetic
pigmy Lapdogs ladies love to carry. It is almost wholly silent, but
when roused to take food, now and then it utters a feeble tone, like
the crackling of some substance in the fire. When angry, and about to
bite, it gives forth a tolerably loud growl or grunt.
The above animal (with one or possibly two species) forms the genus
Nycticebus, in which the body and limbs are short; there is no tail,
and the head is globular, whilst there are no less than sixteen
back-bones with ribs. The index finger is short, and there is a nail on
it.
The next genus is called Loris, or Stenops.
THE SLENDER LORIS.[141]
Comes from Ceylon, Malabar, and the Coromandel Coast, and the Malays
in Ceylon call it “Seyvoingoo,” the Cinghalese, “Onaha ppoolowa.” The
meagre figure and long lank limbs of this creature give it a droll,
half-starved look, its skin-tight robes and silent melancholy lending
oddity, but not gracefulness, to its charms. If seen during the day,
and made to walk on a flat surface, what between its blinking, peeping
eyes and awkward gait, a feeling of pity devoid of admiration is apt
to arise. But watched at night, when it is clambering among branches,
its character changes to that of a more lithe and nimbler animal,
whose great staring eyes and gliding progress most surely indicate
a nature less apathetic than a more hasty conclusion would warrant.
Its uncommonly long body, devoid of a tail, is rendered more striking
on account of limb-length, and the colour is usually of an unequal
sooty-grey, the back mingled with much rusty-tinted or tawny hairs.
The under parts are whitish, and there is a light nose-streak. The
space round the eyes, which are close together, is dusky, and on the
head is a dark spot, pointing to the inner eyelid. As in other of the
Lemuroid groups, there is no absolute constancy in depth of tint and
markings, lighter and darker varieties being met with. The rounded ears
are conspicuous, though not long and mobile as in the Galagos, and the
face has a kind of Dog-like expression. The hair is very singular when
the animal is alive: it resembles soft packed wool, somewhat curled
and arranged in little tufts, as the hair on the scalp of the negro,
but very delicate; it soon loses this appearance after death if much
handled, as is always the case in removing the skin.
[Illustration: SLENDER LORIS, SHOWING ITS ATTITUDES AND HABITS. (_In
part after Emerson Tennent._)]
The Slender Loris is very common in the lower country of the south
and east of Ceylon. Dr. Templeton, who had several of them, observes
“that after a few months’ confinement they soon begin to pine and die.
One was particularly noticed. If the room was perfectly quiet about
dusk, it ventured about, crawling along the rails of the chairs with a
very gentle movement. There was an interval of nearly a minute in the
closing of its hands on the parts of the furniture which it grasped in
succession, while moving its head from side to side with much grave
deliberation. But when a Spider or other insect came within its reach,
its clutch at it was quick as lightning, and with equal rapidity it was
conveyed to the mouth. It seemed particularly anxious to avoid having
its hinder extremities touched. When approached, it retiringly slunk
along the stick placed slantingly in the corner for its use, or along
the back of the chair, with the usual deliberate movement. Its great
goggle eyes would be fixed immovably on your face or hands if held
towards it, and with every expression of fear. Its mouth appears small,
and so little distensible that one cannot imagine it capable of biting
anything except it be of very small size. The natives, nevertheless,
assert that it destroys Peacocks in the jungle, seizing them by the
neck, which it clutches with such tenacity that the bird soon falls
exhausted to the ground off its perch, or in its sudden flight,
attempting to escape its persecutor. Having devoured the brain, the
Loris leaves the rest of the body untouched.” Among the others in his
possession, Templeton alludes to a female which gave birth to a young
one. “This latter, when ushered into the world, was about two inches
long, like a Mouse, perfectly without hairy covering, a large head,
attenuated body, and excessively slender legs. The face and eyes were
proportionally much smaller than in the older animal. It clung to the
mother so tenaciously, that I believe it would almost have parted with
its life than let go its hold.” This baby Loris, he remarks, was not at
all entitled to the usual appellation, Dog-like.
Sir J. Emerson Tennent says that the Slender Loris, from its sluggish
movements, nocturnal habits, and consequent inaction during the day,
has acquired the name of the “Ceylon Sloth.” According to him there
are two varieties in the island; one of the ordinary fulvous brown,
and another larger, whose fur is entirely black. A specimen of the
former was sent to him from Chilaw, on the western coast, and lived for
some time at Colombo, feeding on rice, fruit, and vegetables. It was
partial to Ants and other insects, and always eager for milk or the
bone of a Fowl. The natural slow motion of its limbs enables the Loris
to approach its prey so stealthily that it seizes birds before they
can be alarmed by its presence. During the day one which he kept was
usually asleep in the strange position shown in the woodcut (p. 247),
its perch firmly grasped with its hands, its back curved into a ball
of soft fur, and its head hidden deep between its legs. The singularly
large and intense eyes of the Loris have attracted the attention of
the Cinghalese, who capture the creature for the purpose of extracting
them as charms and love-potions, and this they are said to effect by
holding the little animal to the fire till its eyeballs burst. Its
Tamil name is _theivangu_, or “thin-bodied;” and hence a deformed child
or an emaciated person has acquired in the Tamil districts the same
epithet. The light-coloured variety of the Loris in Ceylon has a spot
on its forehead, somewhat resembling the _namam_, or mark worn by the
worshippers of Vishnu; and from this peculiarity it is distinguished as
the _Nama-theivangu_.
A curious animal, differing from the foregoing Slow Lemuroids, but
Asiatic in its distribution, is the only species of the genus _Tarsius_.
GENUS TARSIUS.--THE SPECTRE TARSIER, OR TARSIUS. THE MALMAG.[142]
This is a small, active creature, which appears to excite great terror
in the minds of the natives of the East Indian Archipelago, from its
curious-shaped face, and sudden appearance at dusk. So impressed are
the inhabitants of some portions of Java with its malevolent influence,
that if they see one of them on a tree near their rice-grounds, they
will leave them uncultivated.
About the size of a small, common Squirrel, this tiny cause of fright
has a round head, like that of a Marmoset, a pointed muzzle, large
ears, and staring eyes. Its grinning mouth gives a queer and comical
look to the face. Its body is about six inches in length. The limbs
are long, especially the hind pair, and the tail--about nine inches
long--is slender, and furnished with a brush of long hair at the end.
The colour of the body is fawn-brown as a rule, and the bare parts
are of a flesh tint, and the forehead, face, and nose are reddish, and
there is a black eye-streak. The name is derived from the fact of the
“tarsus,” or ankle-bones, being remarkably developed, the heel-bones
being very long. There is but one kind as yet known, and it can be
distinguished from all the other Lemuroids by the peculiarity of its
front teeth. There are four upper ones and only two lower, and the
inner pair of the upper jaw are much larger than the outer. There
are four canine teeth; and there are twelve molar teeth in each jaw,
six being false molars. These teeth are very crowded, and there is
scarcely any space between them. The ends of the fingers and toes are
well supplied with pads, which assist the animal in its jumping and
clinging, and the second and third toes have short, sharp, and pointed
claws, which stand nearly erect. The nails of the hands are scale-like
and triangular, and this is the case with those of the great and outer
toes.
[Illustration: TARSIUS. (_Animal after Burmeister, but modified from
specimens in the British Museum._)]
The cavity for the eye, or orbit, is unlike that of any other of
the Lemuroida, for it is closed behind, and does not open there on
to the temple; this is, therefore, very characteristic. But the
globular-shaped head, although remarkable, is not quite so distinctive.
The most striking anatomical feature, and indeed that which is
observable in the outside shape, is the disproportionate length of
the heel-bones and foot to the lower leg and thigh. It has a very
small side-bone to the leg (_fibula_), and it does not reach to the
ankle. Oddly enough, the third finger of the hand is the longest, and
the second and fourth are nearly equal, presenting a difference with
regard to the other Lemuroida. So that this small, active creature,
with a Monkey-like appearance, has more resemblance to the Insectivora,
and differs very considerably from the rest of the group with which
it is classified. The Spectre Tarsier, which inhabits the Oriental
Archipelago and the Philippine Islands, has not been brought alive
to England, but the late well-known naturalist, Mr. Cuming, gave the
following description of its habits and peculiarities:--
“The Malmag is a small animal living under the roots of trees,
particularly the large bamboo of these islands. Its principal food is
Lizards, which it prefers to all other. When extremely hungry I have
known it to eat Shrimps and Cockroaches, and give a great preference to
those which are alive. It is very cleanly in its habits; never touches
any kind of food that has been partly consumed, and never drinks a
second time from the same water. It seldom makes any kind of noise, and
when it does emit sound, it is a sharp, shrill call, and only once.
On approaching it in its cage it fixes its large full eyes upon the
party for a length of time, never moving a muscle; on drawing nearer or
putting anything near it, it draws up the muscles of the face similar
to a Monkey, and shows its beautiful, sharp, regular-set teeth. It
laps water like a Cat, but very slowly, and eats much for so small an
animal. It springs nearly two feet at a time. It sleeps much by day, is
easily tamed, and becomes quite familiar, licking the hands and face,
and creeping about your person, and is fond of being caressed. It has
an aversion to the light, always retiring to the darkest place. It sits
upon its posteriors when it feeds, holding its food by its fore-paws;
when not hungry it will ogle the food for a considerable time. A male
and female are generally seen together; the natives of these islands
make sure of taking the second having secured the first. They are
extremely scarce in the island of Bohol, and found only in the woods of
Jagna and the island of Mindanao. It produces one at a time. I had the
good fortune to procure a female without knowing her to be with young.
One morning I was agreeably surprised to find she had brought forth.
The young one appeared to be rather weak, but a perfect resemblance to
its parent; the eyes were open and covered with hair. It soon gathered
strength, and was constantly sucking betwixt its parent’s legs, and
so well covered by its mother that I seldom could see anything of it
but its tail. On the second day it began to creep about the cage with
apparent strength, and even climb up to the top by the rods of which
the cage was composed. Upon persons wishing to see the young one when
covered over by the mother, we had to disturb her, upon which the dam
would take the young one in its mouth, in the same manner as a Cat,
and carry it about for some time. Several times I saw her, when not
disturbed, trying to get out of the cage, with the young one in her
mouth as before. It continued to live and increase in size for three
weeks, when, unfortunately, some one trod upon the tail of the old one
which was protruded through the cage, a circumstance which caused her
death in a few days. The young one died a few hours after, and I put it
in spirits.”
GENUS CHEIROMYS.
Another Madagascar Lemuroid remains to be noticed, and it ought to have
been described with those of that great island; but the creature is so
unlike all the others, and is so manifestly inferior in its Lemuroid
character, and peculiar in its construction and habits, that it is
necessary to place it at the end of all. Its position in the scale of
classification is at the end of the Lemuroida, for although it has many
of their anatomical characters, it resembles the Rodents, or Gnawers,
in others. It is called
THE AYE-AYE.[143]
This is one of the most remarkable animals in the world, both on
account of its peculiar Squirrel shape and Lemur-like construction,
as well as on account of its habits. The animal was first kept and
described by the traveller Sonnerat, who obtained a male and female
from the west coast of Madagascar. He kept them on board ship and fed
them on boiled rice for two months, when they died, and he used to
remark that they used a finger of each hand to eat with, after the
fashion of the Chinese, who use chopsticks. Having shown them to some
of the natives of the east coast of the island, they were surprised,
and denied that these curious-looking creatures belonged to their part
of the country; moreover, they ejaculated “Aye-aye” on seeing them,
and thus gave the familiar name to the breed. It is now known that the
so-called Aye-Aye chiefly inhabits the forests of bamboos, which are
numerous in the interior of the island. They are rare animals, and live
a solitary life, or are found in pairs, but they never associate in
bands of several individuals. They are essentially nocturnal in their
habits, for they sleep all the day long in the thick bunches of leaves
of the bamboos in the most impenetrable part of the forests, and they
are therefore rarely seen, and are only met with quite by accident. The
Aye-Aye feeds on the pith of the bamboos, and on sugar-canes, but it
also loves Beetles and their grubs as a change of food. During the dark
nights it awakens the echoes of the forest with a kind of plaintive
grunting, and jumps from bough to bough, and clambers up the trees
with great agility and vivacity, examining the bark of old trees most
carefully in order to find its favourite insect-food.
[Illustration: AYE-AYE. (_After Owen, Trans. Zool. Soc., but
modified._)]
As daylight approaches, the Aye-Aye ceases its lively play and
forest-roaming, and moves into the sombre shades of the densest
foliage; there it avoids the light and the rays of the sun, and placing
its head between the fore-feet, and encircling itself with its bushy
tail, the now half-torpid creature sleeps on until the evening.
The Aye-Aye is about three feet in length, including the long tail, and
there is a half Fox, half Lemur look about it, with a little of the
Squirrel. The hind feet at first sight are like those of a Monkey, as
are also the limbs; but the hands are not in keeping with the rest, for
the fingers are of all kinds of lengths, and the middle one looks as
if it were atrophied and wasted. A little care, however, proves that
the ears, so widely open and spoon-shaped, and nearly naked, are larger
than those of these animals, that the head is really broader than
theirs, and that the furthest end of the muzzle surmounts a perfect
lip which hides four great front teeth, two above and two below. The
tail is a very prominent object, and is longer than the body; it is
straight, very bushy, flexible, and is covered with long coarse hairs,
being thicker at the end than at the root. All the rest of the body,
except the ears, nose, and the palms of the feet and hands, which are
naked, is covered with a fur that is dense and furry underneath, and
long and hairy at the ends; and it is these long hairs which give the
general tint to the animal. The prevailing tint is a deep fuscous
approaching to black; there is a little dark-red underneath, and
yellow-grey on the throat nearest the head. Everywhere the dark colour
is relieved by long scattered white hairs, which are very conspicuous
on the back. On the back and tail the hair attains the length of from
three to four inches. It has widely-open staring eyes, and whilst it is
lively enough in the dark, it looks dazed and stupid in daylight. As if
to render the animal more curious than ever, the teats, or mammæ for
suckling the young, are not on the breast, but in the lower part of the
body, and close to the groins, there being one on each side.
The Aye-Aye, so strangely constructed, has been a great puzzle to
naturalists, and there have been many keen debates about its natural
history. It is a hundred years since Sonnerat stated that, although
the Aye-Aye much resembles a Squirrel, “yet it differs therefrom by
some essential characters, being also allied to the Lemur and the
Monkey;” and in describing the fore-foot, he specifies the long slender
joints of the skeleton-looking middle finger, which the animal, he
says, “makes use of to draw out of holes in trees the worms which form
its food.” Buffon saw the skin of one of these specimens obtained by
Sonnerat, and concluded that it is more closely allied to the genus
of Squirrels than to any other, and that it also has more relation to
a kind of Jerboa. After describing the hind feet, Buffon remarks that
the opposite character of the thumb with the flattened nail separates
the Aye-Aye widely from the Squirrel, and that of all animals that
have a flat great toe-thumb nail, the Tarsier, a kind of Jerboa, is
that which most resembles it. He ranked the Aye-Aye with the Rodents,
or Gnawers. Nevertheless, Cuvier considered it to be one of the
Squirrels, and by no means ignoring the opposite hind thumb, he still
believed it to be an unusual or anomalous kind, but he was greatly
led by the belief that the animal gnawed wood invariably for the sake
of its only food, the worms and grubs. About the same time a German
(Schreber), by examining the limbs, decided that the Aye-Aye was a
Lemur, and he called it _Lemur psilodactylus_, or the “bare-fingered”
Lemur; and after a while Cuvier obtained the skull and part of the
limb-bones from Sonnerat’s specimen, and examined the first especially.
Then the great front teeth of the Aye-Aye, and the space behind them,
influenced the great anatomist, who saw that it had the teeth of
Gnawers (Rodents), and skull like that of the Quadrumana, so he placed
it in the list of doubtful animals. After his time, most anatomists
considered the animal to be clearly allied to the Squirrels, and placed
it amongst the Rodentia. But in 1859 Owen, from whose works the above
notices of the progress of opinion on this subject have been taken,
received an important letter from Dr. Sandwith, C. B., and a specimen
of the Aye-Aye. The following letter explains the habits, and Owen
subsequently described the anatomy of the animal, and placed it in its
present position in the classification.
[Illustration: FOREST SCENE IN MADAGASCAR.]
Dr. Sandwith wrote:--“After very great difficulty and much delay I
have at length obtained a fine healthy male, a real Aye-Aye, and he is
enjoying himself in a large cage which I had constructed for him. And
now I have some questions to ask you. Do you want him dead or alive?
It will, of course, be much easier to send his dead body home, if that
will do; and if so, how am I to preserve him? If you want him alive
you must tell me so without delay, as I think it would be dangerous to
send him home in the cold season. I observe he is sensitive of cold,
and likes to cover himself up in a piece of flannel, although the
thermometer is now often 90° in the shade. He is a very interesting
little animal, and from close observation I have learned his habits
very correctly. On receiving him from Madagascar, I was told that he
ate bananas, so of course I fed him on them, but tried him with other
fruit. I found he liked dates, which was a grand discovery, supposing
he be sent alive to England. Still I thought that those strong Rodent
teeth, as large as those of a young Beaver, must have been intended
for some other purpose than that of trying to eat his way out of a
cage--the only use he seemed to make of them besides masticating soft
fruits. Moreover, he had other peculiarities, _e.g._, singularly large
naked ears, directed forward as if for offensive rather than defensive
purposes; then again the second finger of the hands is unlike anything
but a monster supernumerary member, it being slender and long, half
the thickness of the other fingers, and resembling a piece of bent
wire. Excepting the head and this finger, he closely resembles a Lemur.
Now, as he attacked every night the woodwork of his cage, which I was
gradually lining with tin, I bethought myself of tying some sticks over
the woodwork, so that he might gnaw these instead. I had previously
put in some large branches for him to climb upon; but the others were
straight sticks to come over the woodwork of his cage, which alone
he attacked. It so happened that the thick sticks I now put into his
cage were bored in all directions by a large and destructive grub
called here the Montorek. Just at sunset the Aye-Aye crept from under
his blanket, yawned, stretched, and betook himself to his tree, where
his movements were lively and graceful, though by no means as quick
as those of a Squirrel. Presently he came to one of the worm-eaten
branches, which he began to examine most attentively; and bending
forward his ears and applying his nose close to the bark, he rapidly
tapped the surface with the curious second digit, as a Woodpecker taps
a tree, though with much less noise, from time to time inserting the
end of the slender finger into the worm-holes as a surgeon would a
probe. At length he came to a part of the branch which evidently gave
out an interesting sound, for he began to tear it with his strong
teeth. He rapidly stripped off the bark, cut into the wood, and exposed
the nest of a grub, which he daintily picked out of its bed with the
slender tapping finger, and conveyed the luscious morsel to his mouth.
I watched these proceedings with intense interest, and was much struck
with the marvellous adaptation of the creature to its habits, shown by
his acute hearing, which enables him aptly to distinguish the different
tones emitted from the wood by this gentle tapping, his evidently acute
sense of smell aiding him in his search; his secure footsteps on the
slender branches to which he firmly clings by his Quadrumanous members;
his strong Rodent teeth enabling him to tear through the wood; and,
lastly, by the curious slender finger, unlike that of any other animal,
and which he used alternately as a pleximeter, a probe, and a scoop.
But I was yet to learn another peculiarity. I gave him water to drink
in a saucer, on which he stretched out a hand, dipped a finger into
it, and drew it obliquely through his open mouth; and this he repeated
so rapidly that the water seemed to flow into his mouth. After a while
he lapped like a Cat; but his first mode of drinking appeared to me to
be his way of reaching water in the deep clefts of trees. I am told
that the Aye-Aye is an object of veneration at Madagascar, and that if
any native touches one he is sure to die within the year; hence the
difficulty of obtaining a specimen. I overcame this difficulty by a
reward of ten pounds.”
Further information on the same subject was obtained by M. Vinson, who
states that his Aye-Aye slept the greater part of the day, and moved
about and made attempts to escape at night time. Having once succeeded,
it climbed to the nearest tree, and moved about, leaping from branch
to branch with the agility of the Ring-tailed Lemur; but its ordinary
life in captivity suggested the idea of its being an indolent and
rather slow-moving animal. The tail is carried in a curve, with the
hollow of the bend downwards, so that it is slightly arched, and its
chief office seems to be to add to the warmth of the already warm fur
when the animal is in repose. In assuming the attitude of rest, the
Aye-Aye places its head between its hands, and bends the tail over it
by curving it forwards and letting it fall. Then it rolls itself into a
ball, and covers the whole surface with the bushy hairs of this useful
appendage, which is longer than the whole body and head together.
With regard to the Aye-Aye mentioned by Dr. Sandwith, Owen advised
that, if it could not be sent safely to England, it had better be
killed by chloroform, and sent over in spirit. Before this advice
arrived the animal managed to escape from its confinement, and made for
the sugar-canes in a neighbouring plantation, and there the unlucky
Aye-Aye was speedily captured. He was martyred for the sake of science,
and its description by Owen will last as long as literature, and
its skin and bones as long as the British Museum exists. Some other
observers had interested themselves about the animal in the interval,
and in 1855 M. Liénard is said by Owen to have observed the habits of
a young male. This one liked mango nuts, and invariably made a hole
in the rind with his strong front teeth, inserted therein his slender
middle digit, and then lowering his mouth to the hole, put into it the
pulp which the finger had scooped out of the fruit. When one hand was
tired it used the other, and often changed them. On presenting him with
a piece of sugar-cane, he held it by both hands, and tearing it open
with his teeth, sucked out the juice. M. Vinson had one for two months,
which was brought from Madagascar to the Ile de la Réunion, and he
stated that it selected the grubs it liked best by the sense of smell,
and that when _café au lait_ or _eau marée_ was offered, it drank by
passing its long slender finger from the vessel to the mouth with
incredible rapidity.
The Aye-Aye, according to the discovery of M. Soumagne, honorary consul
of France in Madagascar, constructs true nests in trees, which resemble
enormous ball-shaped “birds’-nests.” He found them in the belt of
forest which is situated half-way up a great mountain close to the town
of Tamatave. They are composed of the rolled-up leaves of the so-called
“Traveller’s Tree,” and are lined with small twigs and dry leaves. The
opening of the nest is narrow, and is placed on one side, and it is
lodged in the fork of the branches of a large tree. In this the Aye-Aye
resembles the lower Lemuroids, and not the genera _Loris_ and _Tarsius_.
The specimen of the Aye-Aye examined by Owen is three feet in length,
the included tail measuring one foot eight inches and a half, and the
fourth fingers of the hand and the fourth toes are the longest. The
forefinger is shorter than the fifth, or little finger, and the second
toe, counting the toe-thumb as the first, is shorter than the little
toe.
The Aye-Aye is admirably adapted for its peculiar life, although
part of its construction is very unlike that of the other Lemuroids,
whose habits are much the same. Having nocturnal habits, the eyes are
especially formed for the purpose of admitting all the light possible.
They are large, prominent, and none of the “white” or conjunctiva is
seen, only the cornea and the light brown or hazel-coloured iris behind
it (commonly called the “sight”) being visible. It is a very staring,
open eye, and the pupil is capable of being widely opened in the dark,
and in fact it dilates generally as the light wanes, so as to admit
every possible ray. In daylight, on the contrary, it contracts to a
pin’s point in size, so as to shut out the light which would dazzle the
eye and probably produce injury to it. There is a tapetum (see page
214) which assists in nocturnal vision. Nature has protected the eye
not only with lids, for there are traces of eyelashes on the upper one
but not on the lower, under which, however, there are some bristles.
There is a kind of eyebrow in the form of tufts of a dozen very slender
bristle-like hairs, and to complete the arrangement for protecting the
eye against direct injury, and for letting the animal know when things
are near enough to injure its organ of sight, there is what is called a
nictitating fold in each eye. This is a layer of the white of the eye,
or conjunctiva, situated close to the inner side near the nose, and
which extends when required over the “sight” as a cover and protection.
In addition to the nocturnal sight, the Aye-Aye has evidently extremely
delicate hearing, the ears being large, spoon-shaped, and open, and
their sense is very acute. For, either by hearing or by their very fine
sense of smell, it detects grubs in the wood, and soon has them out,
thanks to its teeth and claws.
The feet are long, and are made for grasping and for supporting the
Aye-Aye on boughs whilst it uses its hands and teeth. They are very
strong, and have a very long ankle, and claws to all the toes, except
to the great thumb-like toe, which is very powerful, and has a flat
nail. But it is in the hands and teeth that the singularity of the
animal is made manifest, which makes it so little like the Lemuroida
as a group. The hand is unique, but the front of the skull and the
front teeth resemble those of the gnawing animals, and hence the name
Cheiromys, which means hand-rat. Something has been said already
regarding the food of the animal, and as its nature has to do with the
hands and teeth, it is advisable to quote the able Superintendent of
the Zoological Gardens, Mr. Bartlett:--
“In feeding,” writes Mr. Bartlett, “the left hand only is used, but the
examination of the mode of taking her food requires careful attention,
owing to the very rapid movement of the hand. The fourth finger, which
is the largest and longest, is thrust forward into the food; the
slender third finger is raised upwards and backwards above the rest,
while the first finger (or thumb) is lowered so as to be seen below
and behind the chin. In this position the hand is drawn backwards
and forwards rapidly, the inner side of the fourth finger passing
between the lips, the head of the animal being held sideways, thus
depositing the food in the mouth at each movement. The tongue, jaws,
and lips are kept in full motion all the time. Sometimes the animal
will advance towards the dish and lap like a Cat, but this is unusual.
The skeleton-like third finger is used with great address in cleansing
her face and picking the corners of the eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and
other parts of the body, and during these operations the other fingers
are closed.” From all that has hitherto been observed, the Aye-Aye
evidently eats both insects and vegetable food, so that in captivity it
will reject meat food more or less. In its natural state it will prefer
the grubs of some trees to those which frequent others, and it searches
along the boughs for some evidence of their presence, and, with teeth
and slim fingers, opens their galleries and brings them to light.
The teeth are certainly remarkable. There are two sets, the milk teeth
and the adult teeth. In the first, or milk teeth, there are two front
teeth, one canine tooth, and a molar or grinder on each side of the
upper jaw. In the lower jaw there is but one front tooth, no canine,
and one molar on each side. A further peculiarity consists in the
falling out of the molars, one incisor, and the canine in the upper
jaw, to be replaced by the following adult dentition, or second set.
This consists of one incisor, no canine, one pre-molar, and three
molars on both sides of the upper jaw; while below, the canine and
pre-molar are entirely absent, the incisor and molar being like those
of the upper jaw; it has thus eighteen teeth altogether. There are two
front teeth in the upper and two in the lower jaw only, but they are
very large, long, and narrow, being shaped like those of a Rabbit or
Rat. Their tips wear away and expose a sharp cutting surface of thick
enamel in front, and they are splendid cutting chisels. They gnaw and
cut away wood, strip off bark, and make deep holes in the branches, and
their length permits them to be placed in hollows in the wood so as to
prise them open by acting as levers. It appears that they are made to
grow from their sockets as they are worn down by frequent use. They are
by themselves, and there is a great gap (diastema) or distance in the
gums between them and the next teeth. This is quite after the fashion
of the gnawing animals. The back teeth crush and champ fruit, vegetable
substances, and insects with ease. There is a curious point about the
chin, for there is no bony union there between the two sides of the
lower jaw; on the contrary, the union is by a more or less elastic
tissue, which permits of some movement up and down and from side to
side during the action of the great front teeth.[144]
The hand is most peculiar, for certain of the fingers are so thin and
long that they appear as if improperly nourished. They have the usual
number of joints, and the last joints have strong curved claws. They
have not the same relation of length and size as in any of the other
Lemuroids, for the fourth finger is the longest instead of the third,
and the third finger is so much more slim than the others, that Owen
remarks that it seems as if it were paralysed. The hair is carried down
the arms to the fingers, and adds to their spidery look. In the wrist
there are the usual nine bones, the intermedium being there in addition
to the eight recognisable in the higher Apes; and the two bones of the
fore-arm greatly resemble those of the Monkeys in general.
The wrist and fore-arms are very movable, and the fingers also;
but the thumbs, small as they are, and clawed, have but little of
the thumb-like motion, and are but very slightly opposable to the
forefinger, which, moreover, is rather shorter than the “little” or
fifth finger.
[Illustration: BONES OF THE HAND AND FOOT OF AYE-AYE. (_After Owen._)]
On the whole the Aye-Aye presents some resemblance to the Lemuroids,
and less to any other animal. Its large open ears, the eyes looking
straight forward, the nostrils placed at the end of the snout, the
want of any groove on the upper lip, the nature of the fur, so furry
below and hairy above on the skin, are interesting to those who care to
compare this animal with the Lemuroids and Rodents, or gnawing animals;
so are the perfect condition of the orbits, or eye cavities, in front
and their opening through behind, and the arrangement of the back-bones
and limbs to those who would compare it with the Monkeys.
The skeleton resembles that of these last, and there are so many points
of difference from the Rodents--although the skull at first sight looks
like that of a Rat--that this very exceptional creature is classified
with the Lemuroida from its partial resemblance to them and the Monkeys.
[Illustration: SKULL OF THE AYE-AYE (SIDE AND FRONT VIEW). (_After
Owen._)]
THE CLASSIFICATION OF THE LEMUROIDA.
Now that the Madagascar, African, and Asiatic Lemuroids have been
noticed, and their prominent peculiarities described, it is easy to
arrange them in the proper classification. Firstly, the position of
the whole sub-order is next to the Hapale Monkeys of South America
in the order of Primates. Then, if the figures or stuffed specimens
of an Aye-Aye, a Tarsius, and a Slow Loris be compared, there is no
difficulty in distinguishing them, for they differ much. But if a
Lepilemur and a Galago are compared, it will be noticed that although
they differ enough to be placed in two genera, still the distinction
is not great. So it is advisable to group them together in a family;
but the three others must belong each to a separate family. The scheme
of Professor Mivart, who has paid much attention to these animals, and
which we adopt, is as follows:--
FAMILIES OF THE SUB-ORDER LEMUROIDA AND THEIR GENERA.[145]
_Genera._
{ Indris.
{ Lepilemur.
_Family_ I.--Lemuridæ. { Lemur.
{ Hapalemur.
{ Cheirogale.
{ Galago.
{ Perodicticus.
{ Loris, or Stenops.
_Family_ II.--Nycticebidæ { Nycticebus.
{ Arctocebus.
„ III.--Tarsidæ Tarsius.
„ IV.--Cheiromydæ Cheiromys.
As groups these have more or less well-defined differences. Thus, the
Lemuridæ have no _rete mirabile_, and, except in one species, the tail
is large, and all have their hind legs longer than their front ones.
The Nycticebidæ have short ears and faces, and the tail is short or
absent. They have a strange defect in the fingers (of hand and foot),
the ankle is short, and there is a _rete mirabile_.
As a family the Tarsidæ have long ears, a long ankle, a long and
slender tail, and there is a _rete mirabile_. Moreover, the fourth
finger is not the longest.
The Cheiromydæ are known at once by their great front teeth, and the
probe-like middle finger of the hand.
GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION.
All the kinds of Indris, Lepilemur, Hapalemur, Lemur, and Cheirogale
inhabit Madagascar and some of the small islands close to its coast,
and one kind of Lemur is found in one if not in two of the Comoro
Islands, which are between the north west of Madagascar and the African
coast, and nearer the island than to the continent. They have not been
discovered elsewhere, and this is extremely interesting, because, with
the exception of the genus Galago, they form the entire family of the
Lemuridæ. The Galagos are not found in Madagascar, but in the woods
and forests of the opposite coast of Africa. Some Galagos are found
as far south as Port Natal, and the thick-tailed species inhabits both
the eastern and the western coasts of the continent, and the central
parts also. Others have been found near the Gaboon and in Fernando Po,
Senegal, and Gambia, and in the country of Sennaar and near the White
Nile. The Aye-Aye is essentially a Madagascar form. The Nycticebidan
family has a wide geographical range. Thus, the species of the genus
Loris are found in Ceylon, in Southern India at Pondicherry, and in
Hindostan; the genus Nycticebus has one species in Borneo and Sumatra,
a second in Java, and a third in China. On the contrary, the remaining
genera, Perodicticus and Arctocebus, are limited to the west coast
of Africa, none of them being found in the intermediate regions of
that continent or in Madagascar. Finally, the Tarsidæ, according to
Wallace, inhabit Borneo, Celebes, and some other neighbouring islands,
the species being the same in all localities. How is the widespread
distribution of the animals of the sub-order to be explained? On the
presumption that they all sprang from one parent stock, it is necessary
to suggest the occurrence of vast geographical changes in bygone ages,
such, for instance, as the former connection of Madagascar and the
mainland of Africa, and their separation; the former existence and
subsequent subsidence of a vast tract of land between Hindostan and
Africa, north of and remote from Madagascar; and the former continuity
of land where there are now the islands of Borneo, Sumatra, and Java.
It is necessary also to assume that Ceylon was united to Hindostan;
and the great islands just mentioned to the continent of Asia. The
land which was intermediate between Hindostan and Africa has been
called Lemuria by Dr. Sclater, and its theoretical existence explains
the otherwise incomprehensible presence of Giraffes and Hippopotami,
now purely African genera, in the olden time in Asia. Geology rather
favours these views. The first Lemuroida swarmed amongst the forests of
these vast countries, and their descendants cut off from each other by
geographical changes are now limited to very remote localities.
The fossil remains of Lemuroida, or of animals whose skulls resemble
somewhat those of the sub-order, have been found in the Eocene of the
Western territories, of the United States, and also in the south of
France.
The particular muscles of the hand, arm, and shoulder which
characterise the Monkeys, and which have been described in the
former chapters, are found in the Lemuroids; and Murie and Mivart
have already shown that in the Lemuroids the muscles agree mainly
with those of Monkeys, and others bear certain resemblances to
those of animals lower in the scale. Moreover, the Lemurs possess a
unique band of fleshy fibres, which stretch between the shin-bone
and the adjoining small bone of the leg, which would seem to serve
in aiding the turning of the limb (the rotator fibulæ).
JAMES MURIE.
P. MARTIN DUNCAN.
[Illustration: MARSH BAT. (_One-half natural size._)]
CHIROPTERA, OR WING-HANDED ANIMALS.
THE BATS.
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION.--CLASSIFICATION OF BATS.--THE FRUIT-EATING BATS.
One of Æsop’s Fables--Opinions of the Ancients regarding
Bats--Scaliger’s Statement of the Puzzle--Opinions of the Middle
Ages--The True Position of the Bats--The Wing of the Bat--General
Structure: The Breast-bone, Arms, Fingers, “Wing-membrane,” Wings,
Skull, Ribs, Pelvis, Legs--In Repose--Walking--The Teats--Organs
of the Senses--“Blind as a Bat”--The Eyes--Spallanzani’s
Experiments--The Bat’s Power of Directing its Flight in the
Darkest Places--Their Food--In Winter-Quarters--A Battue of
Bats--FRUGIVOROUS AND INSECTIVOROUS BATS.
One of those ancient fables ascribed to Æsop, which were the delight
of our younger days, contains a description of a battle between the
birds and the beasts. The grounds of the quarrel we do not remember,
and indeed the moral of the fable was tacked on to the conduct of
the Bat. Availing himself of his combination of fur and wings, that
astute animal hovered over the field of battle, and took his place on
one side or the other, according to the direction in which the tide
of success appeared to be turning, with the purpose, of course, of
claiming in any case to be on the side of the victors. But this finesse
was unsuccessful; the traitor was scouted by both parties, and has ever
since been compelled to make his appearance in public only at night.
Passing over the ingenious explanation thus afforded of the nocturnal
habits of the Bats, this fable reflects pretty clearly the state of
uncertainty in which the ancients were as to their precise nature.
The union of a Mouse-like body with long wings was a great puzzle to
people who had no sound principles of natural history classification
to go upon; and even among the naturalists of antiquity there was much
doubt as to the true position to be assigned to animals so singularly
endowed. Aristotle seems to have thought they were birds with wings
of skin; and Pliny describes them as the only birds which bring forth
their young alive and suckle them. Among the Jews it is perfectly clear
that the Bat was reckoned a bird; it is distinctly included among
the unclean fowls in Leviticus (xi. 19), and Deuteronomy (xiv. 18).
The obfuscation displayed by ancient writers with respect to the Bat
is well shown in the following passage, in which Scaliger summarises
their opinions:--“It is indeed,” he says, “an animal of marvellous
structure; biped, quadruped; walking, but not with feet; flying, but
not with feathers; seeing without light, in the light, blind; it uses
light beyond the light, but wants light in the light; a bird with
teeth, without a beak, with teats, with milk, bearing its young even
when flying.” Can it be wondered at that such a creature should be a
puzzle?
Nevertheless, some ancient writers seem to have entertained clearer
notions on the subject, such as Macrobius, who maintained that as the
Bat walked like a quadruped it ought to be classed with quadrupeds,
for which he is blamed by Jonston, who speaks with approval of Plato’s
opinion, according to which this unfortunate animal is neither bird
nor beast, an opinion which partially prevailed to a rather late
date. Throughout the Middle Ages, however, the general opinion even
of professed naturalists was that Bats were birds; and we find this
notion prevailing down to the time of Aldrovandus, in the latter part
of the sixteenth century, and of Jonston, whose gigantic compilation
was published in 1657. It is a question whether this notion that Bats
are birds has even yet been entirely dispelled in the popular mind,
and no doubt many people still regard them as birds, because they can
fly, just as Whales and Seals are considered fishes, because they swim,
and Centipedes and Scorpions reptiles, because they crawl. John Ray,
the father of modern zoology, writing in 1683, was the first to refer
the Bats to their true position among the Mammalia (animals which
suckle their young), and in this course he was followed by Linnæus,
who actually placed these puzzles of former naturalists in his highest
order of Mammals, the Primates, along with man and the Apes. The
position assigned to them by Linnæus in the series of animals they have
virtually retained in nearly all systems to the present day.
[Illustration: SKELETON OF THE MOUSE-COLOURED BAT (VESPERTILIO
MURINUS.) (_From De Blainville_).
_a_, humerus; _b_, shoulder-blade; _c_, collar-bone; _d_, fore-arm
(radius, with the ulna at the elbow); _e_, wrist-bones (carpal-bones);
_f_, thumb; _g g_, metacarpal bones; _s s_, breast-bone (sternum); _p_,
pelvis; _i i_, heel-spur.]
By all modern zoologists the Chiroptera have been regarded as a
distinct order of the Mammalia, characterised especially by their
possession of the power of flight, and the consequent modification of
the structure of their fore limbs, which is indicated in the name given
to the group (Chiroptera--hand-wings). They are, in fact, the only true
flying Mammals, and, indeed, the only truly flying Vertebrates except
birds, for the so-called flying Squirrels, flying Lemurs, and flying
Opossums are only furnished with a broad fold of skin on each side of
the body, which, when expanded by the spreading of the limbs, acts as
a sort of parachute to sustain them for a time in the air. This is
also the case with the flying Dragons, although in them the membrane
is stiffened by means of a portion of the ribs; and even in the flying
fishes, in which the organs of aerial locomotion are formed by the
fore-limbs, these merely sustain the fish in the air for a time by the
increased surface they give it, but do not serve as real wings, like
those of Bats and birds.
There is, however, an important difference in the structure of the
wing in the Bats and birds although the general principle on which
the organs of flight are constructed is the same. In both (as indeed
also in flying insects), this principle consists in having a strong
framework, to which an up and down movement can be communicated, along
the front of the wing, enabling it to strike the air with more or less
force during its downward passage, whilst the effective surface of the
organ is of a flexible or elastic nature, being formed in the bird by
the long feathers which are implanted in the skin clothing the bones of
the wing, and in the Bat by a thin leathery membrane which is stretched
between the bones of the fore and hind limbs. Upon these leathern wings
the Bats flit about noiselessly in the twilight or in the darkness of
the night. They are able to advance with considerable speed, and also
to turn and wheel about in their course with great facility.
Of course, as in birds, the principal modification of structure
exhibited in these animals is connected with their power of flight, and
manifested in the fore-limbs. These, although most disproportionately
developed, still, however, display the same bones which have been
described in the arms of the Monkeys and Lemurs, as will be seen in
our figure of the skeleton of the European Mouse-coloured Bat. We find
in them a strong humerus (_a_) of moderate length, articulating with
large shoulder-blades (_b_), which cover a considerable portion of the
back of the chest, and are kept apart by well-developed collar-bones
(_c_), springing in front from a breast-bone (sternum, _s_), which,
although distinctly showing Mammalian characters, projects in such a
manner as to serve the purpose of the deep keel in the breast-bone of
birds, and give attachment to the powerful muscles required to set the
wings in motion (see accompanying figure). The humerus is followed
by the bones of the fore-arm (_d_), the radius and ulna, of which,
however, the latter is generally very small, and reduced to a mere
rudiment immovably fixed to the radius towards the end nearest the
body. This section is the longest part of the arm, and the simplicity
of its structure is in connection with the fact that, as in birds,
there is here no occasion for any movement of rotation in the arm, such
as enables the fore-limbs of many Mammals to be applied to a variety
of uses. At the extremity of the radius are the carpal or wrist-bones
(_e_), which are small but numerous, and furnish surfaces for the
articulation of the bones of the fingers. Of these, the first, or thumb
(_f_), is short, and composed of three joints, a metacarpal and two
phalanges, the last of which bears a strong curved claw, of great use
to the animal in clinging to various surfaces, and in walking on the
ground. Of the other four fingers, the metacarpal bones (_g_) are very
long and slender, forming, indeed, the greater part of the fingers;
they taper towards their tips, but at the tips themselves are slightly
enlarged. The first, or index finger, in most Bats is composed of
the metacarpal bone alone, but in some this is followed by two short
phalanges. The other fingers possess either two or three phalanges. In
general only the thumb possesses a claw, but in some Bats there is one
also on the index finger.
[Illustration: THE STERNUM OF FLYING FOX (PTEROPUS).]
To convert this framework into an organ of flight its various parts
are, as already stated, united by a membrane of more or less leathery
appearance, although often so thin and delicate as to be somewhat
translucent. It is an expansion or wide fold of the skin of the body
like those forming the parachutes of the flying Squirrels, &c., and
often called by the same name--_patagium_. We shall employ the simpler,
if rather longer term, “wing-membrane.” The bones of the arm, with
their accompanying muscles, and those of the fingers, are enclosed
between the two layers of skin of which the membrane is composed, and
which they serve to extend and support. In front of the arm there is a
small portion of membrane filling up the angle of the elbow, and called
the antebrachial membrane. The thumb is left free. Behind the arm is
the great expanse of the wing, which springs from the sides of the
body, and is also attached to the hind legs, generally extending down
to the ankle.
The wings are expanded by the spreading of the fingers, which radiate
from the wrist something like the sticks of a fan. The second, or
middle finger, which is the longest, runs to the extreme tip of the
wing, but before reaching this it generally joins the extremity of
the first, or index finger, which thus acts as a sort of stay to
it, and the two fingers together form a tolerably stiff support for
the outer margin of the wing. The other two fingers (the third and
fourth) traverse the wing to its hinder border, where they carry out
the membrane into small pointed projections; so that when the wing
is expanded, this border shows two points besides that at the apex of
the wing, and three more or less rounded notches, the last of which is
between the tip of the fourth finger and the attachment of the membrane
to the hinder limb.
In most Bats the membrane does not stop short at the legs, but encloses
them after the same fashion as the arms, leaving only the foot and
sometimes a part of the shank free. The portion of membrane that passes
within the legs, sometimes filling up the whole space between them and
enclosing the whole or a part of the tail, sometimes forming only a
narrow border to these limbs, is called the interfemoral or intercrural
membrane, and the characters furnished by it and its relations to other
parts are of great importance in the classification of Bats.
The rest of the structure of these animals may be dismissed in a
few words. The skull, and all the other parts of the skeleton, are
generally light and delicate in their construction, as might be
expected in animals destined to support themselves in the air; but
there is no trace of those pneumatic cavities which, in birds, enable
the air to penetrate all parts of the skeleton. The jaws are well armed
with teeth, which differ in their character in accordance with the
food consumed by the animals. The ribs are well developed, and enclose
a large chest cavity. The pelvis (_p_) is long, slender, and somewhat
bird-like in some respects; the legs are short, generally slender, and
articulated in such a manner that when used in walking the knees are
directed backwards, like our elbows; the fibula (the second bone in the
shank) is usually imperfectly developed, in the same way as the ulna in
the fore-arm; and the foot consists of five distinct toes, armed with
small but sharp claws, by which the animals suspend themselves from the
surface of rocks, walls, and other objects, in the dark retreats to
which they retire for their repose. From the heel-bone (_calcaneum_) in
most Bats there springs a cartilaginous or bony rod or spur, which is
regarded by some zoologists as forming part of the bone itself. This
spur, which is often of considerable length, runs along the margin
of the interfemoral membrane, which it no doubt helps materially
to stretch. When long, and more or less curved, it often causes a
projection of the side of the interfemoral membrane, as shown in the
figure of the Marsh Bat (p. 259). The tail is very variable in length.
In repose, or rather when not flying, the wings of the Bat are folded
up by a reversal of the process by which they were extended for flight;
the long fingers are drawn together, and up towards the fore-arm, and
the membrane forms leathery folds at the sides of the body. This is
also their position when the animal is walking or running on the ground
(see the engraving on the next page), which it does in a somewhat
awkward fashion, by the action of its hind feet and the claws of
its thumbs. When seen thus engaged there can be little doubt as to
the quadruped nature of the Bat. Our little European species have a
Mouse-like appearance, which fully justifies their old popular name.
The teats are usually situated on the breast; but sometimes they are
placed quite on the sides, immediately beneath what we must call the
armpits. They are two in number. In addition to these chest or pectoral
teats, some species have been described as possessing a second pair
of such organs situated on the groin, but recent investigations prove
clearly that these are merely nipple-like warts.
The organs of the senses are well developed. The ears are almost always
of considerable size, sometimes very large and membranous, and in
most cases there is in front of the cavity a sort of lobe of variable
form, called the earlet, or tragus, representing the little rounded
lobe which, in the human ear, projects from behind the cheek over
the opening (see the woodcut of the Head of the Long-eared Bat). The
nostrils are either simple slits or apertures at the end of the muzzle,
or surrounded by leaf-like organs, often of the most extraordinary
forms (see the Head of the Spectacled Vampire, p. 264, and other
illustrations later on), in fact, this tendency of the skin in Bats
to run out into membranous expansions is one of their most remarkable
characteristics, and, from their mode of life, this great development
of the skin system would seem to be almost essential to their existence.
The old proverbial expression, “As blind as a Bat,” is certainly not
founded on a due appreciation of facts, for Bats are by no means blind;
on the contrary, they are furnished with very efficient eyes, although,
in most cases, these are little bead-like organs, very unlike the eyes
usually seen in animals whose activity is nocturnal or crepuscular. But
it would appear that the office of the eyes in guiding these animals
is, at all events, supplemented by some other means. Towards the
end of the last century, the Abbé Spallanzani made some exceedingly
interesting, although certainly cruel experiments on various species
of Bats. He blinded these animals, sometimes by burning the eyes with
a red-hot wire, sometimes by removing the organs altogether, and even
filling up the orbits with wax, and then allowed them to fly. In spite
of the mutilation, the unfortunate little creatures continued quite
lively, and flew about as well as those which still retained their
eyes; they did not strike against the walls of the room, or the objects
in it, avoided a stick held up before them, and showed a greater
desire to keep out of the way of a Cat or the hand of a man than to
escape contact with inanimate objects. One of these blinded Bats was
set free in a long underground passage, which turned at right angles
about its middle. It flew through the two branches of this passage,
and turned, without approaching the side walls. During its flight it
detected a small cavity in the roof at a distance of eighteen inches,
and immediately changed its course in order to conceal itself in this
retreat. In a garden a sort of cage was prepared, with nets, and from
its top sixteen strings were allowed to hang down. Two Bats were
introduced into this enclosure, one blinded, the other with its eyes
perfect. Both flew about freely, never touching the strings with more
than the tips of the wings. Finally, the blind Bat discovered that the
meshes of the enclosing net were large enough for it to get through,
and made its escape; and, after flying about for a time, made its way
rapidly and directly to the only roof in the neighbourhood, in which
it disappeared. In a room containing numerous branches of trees, or in
which silk threads, stretched by small weights, were suspended from
the ceiling, the Bats, though blinded, avoided all these obstacles;
and when, after tiring themselves with their aerial evolutions, they
settled on some object for the sake of rest, they would immediately
rise again on an attempt being made to seize them with the hand.
[Illustration: BARBASTELLE WALKING.]
[Illustration: HEAD OF LONG-EARED BAT.]
From these experiments it was perfectly clear that in threading the
galleries of caverns and other narrow and pitch-dark places to which
Bats commonly resort for their diurnal repose, these animals were
guided by some other sense than that of sight, and the worthy abbé set
himself to ascertain what this sense might be. He commenced operations
by covering the body of one of his blind Bats with varnish, and found
that this had no effect in rendering its movements uncertain. He then
stopped up the ears with wax, and finally with melted sealing-wax,
and still the Bats obstinately persisted in avoiding obstacles placed
in their way. Consequently they did not _hear_ their way in the dark.
There remained the senses of smell and taste. To test the former the
nostrils were stuffed up, but the only effect of this operation was
to bring the creature speedily to the ground, owing to difficulty of
breathing. Little fragments of sponge impregnated with musk, camphor,
or storax were fastened in front of the nostrils, and then the Bats
flew about as freely as ever, and showed the same power of avoiding
contact with objects in their path. The removal of the tongue, as might
be expected, produced no result.
Many of Spallanzani’s experiments were repeated by M. de Jurine, of
Geneva, and with similar results, although Jurine found that when the
ears were effectually stopped the Bats struck their wings against any
object that came in their way.
[Illustration: HEAD OF THE SPECTACLED VAMPIRE (STENODERMA
PERSPICILLATUM.)]
Spallanzani found further that when the head of a Bat was enclosed
in a small paper bag, or even wrapped in some fine light stuff, the
animal could not be induced to fly. Coupling this observation with
the results of his other experiments, he came to the conclusion that
the mysterious faculty possessed by Bats of finding their way in the
darkest places was due to some special sense with which they were
endowed, and which was seated in some unknown organ situated in the
head. Cuvier, however, who was the first really to appreciate the
results of these experiments, arrived at the conclusion, now generally
accepted, that the wonderful power possessed by Bats of directing
their flight in places so dark as to render the sharpest eyes useless,
was due to an exceptional development of the sense of touch, residing
especially in the great delicate membranous expanse of the wings.
These organs are really of the most delicate structure, and traversed
by nerves, the fine ramifications of which terminate in little loops,
like those found in those parts of the skin in man in which the
sense of touch is manifested with the greatest perfection; and their
surface is covered with rows of small thickened points, or papillæ,
which may very probably have something to do with the perception of
exceedingly delicate tactile impressions. Further, the wings of Bats
are very copiously supplied with blood-vessels, and according to Dr.
Wharton Jones even the veins are furnished with contractile walls, so
that the circulation of the blood in them must be exceedingly active.
In fact, according to Professor St. George Mivart, we have here a
condition of things which may be in some degree analogous to a state
of inflammation, which would doubtless considerably heighten the
sensibility of the parts. But besides the wing-membranes many Bats, as
we have seen, possess greatly enlarged ears, and also curious leaf-like
and membranous appendages attached to the region of the nose, all
of which no doubt partake of the sensibility of the wing-membranes,
and assist in no small degree in guiding their possessors. In fact,
from some observations recorded in Bell’s “British Quadrupeds” with
regard to two British species (the Pipistrelle and the Horseshoe Bat),
it would appear that the species with nasal appendages show greater
acuteness of perception than those with simple noses, and many of them
are known to frequent the darkest places of retreat, and to fly later
than some of their less highly endowed fellows.
The food of the great majority of Bats consists of insects, which they
capture on the wing. The members of one large family, however, and some
species of another, feed upon fruits; whilst a few find at least a part
of their nourishment in the blood of other animals. They generally fly
in the twilight of the evening and morning, retiring to obscure places
during the day, although some species will occasionally come out of
their concealment by daylight.
In temperate and cold climates they pass the winter in a torpid state
suspended by their hinder claws in their ordinary places of daily
retreat, where they are often to be found in immense numbers. An
American gentleman, describing a cave in the Western Territories, where
the excrements of Bats had formed so large a deposit of “guano” that
it was proposed to utilise it as manure, was asked by a friend of ours
about the number of Bats in the cavern. He said, “Well, I guess when we
went in there was about as much Bats as air in it.” There is doubtless
a slight tinge of occidental hyperbole about this statement, but the
following sober details, although also from the Western continent, may
serve to show what multitudes of these creatures may collect together
when left undisturbed in a suitable haunt. The story is told in the
introduction to Dr. Allen’s “Monograph of the Bats of North America,”
and is a description by M. Figaniere, Portuguese Minister to the United
States, of the incidents attending his occupation of a new house in
May, 1860:--
“The weather,” he says, “which was beautiful, balmy, and warm, invited
us towards evening to out-door enjoyment and rest, after a fatiguing
day of travel and active labour; but chairs, settees, and benches were
scarcely occupied by us on the piazza and lawn, when to our amazement,
and the horror of the female portion of our party, small black Bats
made their appearance in immense numbers, flickering around the
premises, rushing in and out of doors and through open windows, almost
obscuring the early twilight, and causing a general stampede of the
ladies, who fled, covering their heads with their hands, fearing that
the dreaded little vampires might make a lodgment in their hair.
“This remarkable exhibition much increased our disappointment in
regard to the habitable condition of our acquisition, and was entirely
unexpected, inasmuch as the unwelcome neighbours were in their dormant
state, and ensconced out of sight when the property was examined
previous to purchase.
“Evening after evening did we patiently, though not complacently,
watch this periodical exodus of dusky wings into light from their
lurking-places one after another, and in some instances in couples,
and even triples, according as the size of the holes or apertures from
which they emerged in the slate roofing would permit. Their excursions
invariably commenced with the cry of the _Whippoorwill_, both at
coming evening and early dawn, and it was observed that they always
first directed their flight towards the river, undoubtedly to damp
their Mouse-like snouts, but not their spirits, for it was likewise
observed that they returned to play hide and seek, and indulge in
all other imaginable gambols: when, after gratifying their love of
sport, and satisfying their voracious appetites (as the absence of
Mosquitoes and Gnats testified), they would re-enter their habitation,
and again emerge at the first signal of their feathered trumpeter. Thus
I ascertained one very important fact, namely, that the Bat, or the
species which annoyed us, ate and drank twice in twenty-four hours.
Such appeared their habit, such, therefore, was their indispensable
need.” After trying various remedies, none of which seemed to abate the
nuisance, M. Figaniere adopted the following plan:--
“When the Bats’ _réveillé_ was sounded by the bugle of the
_Whippoorwill_, all the hands of our establishment, men and boys, each
armed with a wooden implement (shaped like a cricket-bat), marched
to the third floor, ‘on murderous deeds with thoughts intent.’ A
lighted lantern was placed in the middle of one of the rooms, divested
of all furniture, to allure the hidden foe from their strongholds.
After closing the window to prevent all escape into the open air,
the assailants distributed at regular distances to avoid clubbing
each other, awaited the appearance of the Bats enticed into the room
by the artificial light and impelled by their own natural craving.
The slaughter commenced, and progressed with sanguinary vigour for
several hours, or until brought to a close by the weariness of dealing
blows that made the enemy bite the dust, and overpowered by the heat
and closeness of the apartment. This plan succeeded perfectly. After
a few evenings of similar exercise, in which the _batteurs_ became
quite expert in the use of their weapons, every wielding of the wooden
bat bringing down an expiring namesake, the war terminated by the
extermination of every individual of the enemy in the main building.
However, there still was the cockloft of the laundry, which gave
evidence of a large population. In this case I had recourse to a plan
which had been recommended, but was not carried out in regard to the
dwelling-house. I employed a slater to remove a portion of the slating,
which required repairing. This process discovered some fifteen hundred
or two thousand Bats, of which the larger number were killed, and the
remainder sought the barn, trees, and other places of concealment in
the neighbourhood.
“To remove the very disagreeable odour which remained in the upper
part of the house, various kinds of disinfectants were employed with
some advantage; but the most effectual method resorted to was that
of opening holes of about four inches square, two at each gable end,
to permit a current of air to pass through. These holes were covered
with wire gauze to prevent the re-entrance of any of the remainder of
the army of the enemy which might hover around the premises. At the
end of five years the odour has now nearly disappeared, being hardly
perceptible during a continuance of very damp weather.”
The great number of species of Bats which have been described
from various parts of the world, but especially from tropical and
sub-tropical regions, display two very strongly-marked types of
structure, associated in general with very different habits and modes
of life. Some are exclusively confined to a fruit diet, or consume
animal food only as an exceptional dainty; whilst the others almost
as exclusively find their nourishment in the swarms of insects which
everywhere people the air. Of the latter, however, some few feed
upon fruits, and others are said to diversify their insect fare by
occasionally sucking the blood of other animals, and even of man
himself. In the Frugivorous, or Fruit-eating Bats, the crowns of the
molar teeth are smooth, with a central furrow running in the direction
of the length of the jaw; in the Insectivorous forms, on the contrary,
the molars show sharp tubercles separated by transverse furrows,
generally producing a sort of W-like pattern on each tooth. These
two types of tooth-structure are associated in each case with other
characters. The Bats are thus divided into two great groups, generally
regarded as sub-orders.
CHAPTER II.
SUB-ORDER I.--MEGACHIROPTERA, OR LARGE BATS.
FAMILY I.--PTEROPIDÆ, OR FRUIT-EATING BATS.
Characteristics of Fruit-Eating Bats--Distribution--Diet--Flying
Fox of Ceylon: its Habits, as described by Sir E. Tennent--The
Flight of the _Pteropidæ_--Known to the Ancients--The Fruit Bats
in the Zoological Gardens--INDIAN FLYING FOX--Diet--Dissipated
Habits--GREAT KALONG--Linnæus’s Description--In their
Dormitories--NICOBAR, MANED, JAPANESE, and GREY FRUIT
BATS--GREY-HEADED FRUIT BAT--GOULD’S FRUIT BAT--ROUSSETTE--EGYPTIAN
FRUIT BAT--HOTTENTOT FRUIT BAT--MARITIME FRUIT BAT--MARGINED FRUIT
BAT--WHITE’S FRUIT BAT--HAMMER-HEADED BAT--HARPY BAT--GREATER HARPY
BAT--CLOAKED FRUIT BAT--DWARF LONG-TONGUED FRUIT BAT--BLACK-CHEEKED
FRUIT BAT--FIJIAN LONG-TONGUED FRUIT BAT.
[Illustration: HEAD OF THE KALONG.]
The fruit-eating Bats (_Frugivora_, Wagner), called _Megachiroptera_,
or Large Bats, by Mr. Dobson, on account of the comparatively large
size of most of the species, are characterised by having the face
elongated and Dog-like (see above illustration)--whence the name of
Flying Foxes is often applied to them by European residents in the
countries where they occur--the ears simple and usually pointed, but
with the sides uniting, so as to form a complete ring at the base, the
nose without any leaf-like appendages, the tail short or altogether
deficient, the interfemoral membrane, or the membrane between the legs,
which in our ordinary Bats encloses the tail, reduced to very small
dimensions, and the molar teeth furnished with flattish crowns, along
the middle of which runs a longitudinal furrow (figured below). The
free thumb is long, and armed with a strong hooked claw, and the first,
or index finger, in nearly all the species, is also terminated by a
claw.
[Illustration: FRUIT BATS OF CEYLON AT HOME.]
The species of Frugivorous Bats, of which about seventy have been
described, agree very closely in their general characters, and
constitute a single family, to which the name of _Pteropidæ_ has been
given, derived from that of the oldest and most extensive of its
genera, _Pteropus_ (wing-foot). They are distributed all over the
warmer parts of the Eastern hemisphere and the islands of the Pacific.
Wherever they occur, they present nearly the same form, and generally a
very similar style of coloration, whilst in their diet they stick most
religiously to fruits, for although some have been found in captivity
to feed on the flesh of birds and rats, and others are charged with
catching and eating fish, in the former case some allowance must
be made for the artificial condition of the animal, which probably
produced a morbid appetite, heightened by the fact that the supply of
his natural food had been exhausted; and the second statement seems
to rest exclusively on the observed fact of these Bats on leaving
their roosts at sunset skimming close over the surface of water, and
sometimes even dipping into it; but the object of these evolutions, as
remarked by Mr. Dobson, “is probably, in the first instance, to drink,
and, secondly, to rid themselves of some of the numerous parasites
with which they are commonly infested.” Sir James Emerson Tennent,
however, says of the Ceylonese species, that “insects, caterpillars,
birds’ eggs, and young birds are devoured by them; and the Singhalese
say that the Flying Fox will even attack a Tree Snake,” but these
statements are not confirmed by other writers, and from the reference
to the Singhalese, it seems probable that they are founded upon hearsay
evidence. Mr. Dobson, however, has suggested that one species (the
_Cynonycteris amplexicaudata_) feeds occasionally upon the shell-fish
that it finds upon the shore, and in this opinion he is supported by
Mr. W. T. Blanford, who found the species upon the island of Kishm, in
the Persian Gulf, a spot so barren that he thinks the Bats would starve
if they depended upon fruits for their nourishment.
[Illustration: DENTITION OF THE EGYPTIAN FRUIT-BAT.]
The habits of the Flying Fox of Ceylon (_Pteropus medius_) are so well
described by Sir James Emerson Tennent, that we may here quote his
observations upon that species, especially as they will apply, _mutatis
mutandis_, to the members of the family in general. He says:--“They
feed, amongst other things, on the guava, the plantain, the rose-apple,
and the fruit of the various fig-trees. Flying Foxes are abundant
in all the maritime districts, especially at the season when the
_pulum-imbul_ (_Eriodendron orientale_, Stead.), one of the silk-cotton
trees, is putting forth its flower-buds, of which they are singularly
fond. By day they suspend themselves from the highest branches,
hanging by the claws of the hind-legs, with the head turned upwards,
and pressing the chin against the breast. At sunset taking wing, they
hover, with a murmuring sound occasioned by the beating of their broad
membranous wings, around the fruit-trees, on which they feed till
morning, when they resume their pensile attitude as before. [See Plate
9.]
“A favourite resort of these Bats is the lofty india-rubber trees,
which on one side overhang the Botanic Gardens of Paradenia, in the
vicinity of Kandy. Thither for some years past they have congregated,
chiefly in the autumn, taking their departure when the figs of the
_Ficus elastica_ are consumed. Here they hang in such prodigious
numbers, that frequently large branches give way beneath their
accumulated weight. Every forenoon, between the hours of 9 and 11, they
take to wing, apparently for exercise, and possibly to sun their wings
and fur, and dry them after the dews of the early morning. On these
occasions their numbers are quite surprising, flying in clouds as thick
as Bees or Midges. After these recreations, they hurry back to their
favourite trees, chattering and screaming like Monkeys, and always
wrangling and contending angrily for the most shady and comfortable
places in which to hang for the rest of the day protected from the sun.
The branches they resort to soon become almost divested of leaves,
these being stripped off by the action of the Bats attaching and
detaching themselves by means of their hooked feet. At sunset they fly
off to their feeding-grounds, probably at a considerable distance, as
it requires a large area to furnish sufficient food for such multitudes.
“In all its movements and attitudes, the action of the _Pteropus_ is
highly interesting. If placed upon the ground, it is almost helpless,
none of its limbs being calculated for progressive motion; it drags
itself along by means of the hook attached to each of its extended
thumbs, pushing at the same time with those of its hind feet. Its
natural position is exclusively pensile; it moves laterally from branch
to branch with great ease, by using each foot alternately, and climbs,
when necessary, by means of its claws.
“When at rest or asleep, the disposition of the limbs is most curious.
At such times it suspends itself by one foot only, bringing the other
close to its side, and thus it is enabled to wrap itself in the ample
folds of its wings, which must envelop it like a mantle, leaving only
its upturned head uncovered. Its fur is thus protected from damp and
rain, and to some extent its body is sheltered from the sun.
“As it collects its food by means of its mouth, either when on the
wing or when suspended within reach of it, the Flying Fox is always
more or less liable to have the spoil wrested from it by its intrusive
companions, before it can make good its way to some secure retreat in
which to devour it unmolested. In such conflicts they bite viciously,
tear each other with their hooks, and scream incessantly, till, taking
to flight, the persecuted one reaches some place of safety, when he
hangs by one foot, and grasping the fruit he has secured in the claws
and opposable thumb of the other, he hastily reduces it to lumps, with
which he stuffs his cheek-pouches till they become distended like those
of a Monkey. Thus suspended in safety, he commences to chew and suck
the pieces, rejecting the refuse with his tongue.” Sir James Emerson
Tennent adds that the Flying Fox drinks by lapping, to do which it
suspends itself head downwards from a branch above the water.
The flight of the _Pteropidæ_ is strong and direct, although not very
rapid, and they often travel considerable distances in search of
favourite articles of food. During flight the hind legs are usually
stretched out horizontally, and as the space between them is not, as
in most other Bats, filled up by an interfemoral membrane, the animals
appear as if they had two stiff tails. Their skin exhales a peculiar
odour, which has been sometimes described as “musky,” although the
term is hardly applicable to it. This odour, which is supposed to be
due to the contamination of the fur with the urine of the animals,
strongly pervades their dwelling-places, and unless great care is taken
in skinning them their flesh is said to acquire a corresponding taste,
which is a matter of some importance, as the larger species constitute
a favourite article of food in the countries which they inhabit.
That the ancients were acquainted with some species of these Bats seems
pretty certain, as one of them (_Cynonycteris ægyptiacus_) is common
in Egypt, and, in fact, is frequently represented on the monuments of
that country (see the engraving on the next page), and Aristotle refers
to a tail-less African Bat, which was probably a Flying Fox. The town
of Borsippa, in Mesopotamia, is mentioned by Strabo as being haunted
by Bats of larger size than any of those known in Europe; and, indeed,
that it was so haunted, and that the inhabitants ate these Bats, is
nearly all that is definitely known of the town. The species was in
all probability either the Egyptian one just referred to, or a nearly
allied form (_Cynonycteris amplexicaudata_), which is known still to
inhabit Persia. The Mosaic prohibition of the Bat as an article of food
to the Jews also no doubt related to one of these species, which may
have been commonly eaten in Egypt or in Syria.
Formerly it was considered a matter of considerable difficulty to
keep these Frugivorous Bats alive in captivity, and especially to
transport them to Europe; but the latter difficulty has disappeared
with increased facilities of locomotion, and several species have been
exhibited alive in various menageries and zoological gardens.
The Zoological Society’s beautiful Gardens in Regent’s Park, London,
generally contain several examples of the Collared Fruit Bat of South
Africa (_Cynonycteris collaris_). It may be noted that these animals
thrive remarkably well in their rather confined cages in the Monkey
House, where, unfortunately, they have no opportunity of displaying
their activity on the wing; but the visitor may see their usual
attitude in repose, suspended by their hind feet, and with their wings
wrapped round them like a cloak, whilst the fact of their curtain being
lifted is always sufficient to disturb some of them, and induce them
to turn their sharp little noses and bright eyes in the direction of
the intruder, and to utter the little querulous cry which seems to
indicate their objection to being disturbed. At night, however, they
become more active, crawling briskly about their cage, and quarrelling
vigorously among themselves for the choice morsels of their food. They
also breed freely in their prison (especially the African species). The
young African Fruit Bats born in the Zoological Gardens were covered
with short, smooth hair of a nearly uniform pale ash-colour, a little
darker towards the tips. Only one was produced at a time, and this
clung by its hind claws to the lower part of the body of the mother,
with its mouth usually attached to one of the two nipples situated on
the breast, as shown in the figure on the next page. The young Fruit
Bats born in confinement may be brought up, as Mr. Bartlett tells us,
to display some fondness for the person who takes care of them and
feeds them. They will then, if let loose, crawl about upon him, and
even mount upon his shoulder and demonstrate their affection by licking
his face after the fashion of a Dog. In the uneducated state, however,
they bite viciously.
[Illustration: REPRESENTATION OF A FRUIT BAT ON AN EGYPTIAN MONUMENT.]
THE INDIAN FLYING FOX.[146]
Southern Asia and its dependent islands may be regarded as the
metropolis of the Fruit Bats. Here the species are most plentiful, and
most numerously represented by individuals; it is here also that the
largest species occur. One of the best-known is the Indian Flying Fox
(_Pteropus medius_), some account of the habits of which, from the
pen of Sir James Tennent, has already been given; and this species
inhabits the whole of Hindostan, with the exception of the Punjab,
Ceylon, Arracan, Tenasserim, and Pegu. It has been described by most
writers under the name of _P. Edwardsii_, having been erroneously
identified with a species inhabiting Madagascar and South-Eastern
Africa. It measures about eleven inches in length,[147] and more than
three feet in expanse of wing. As in all species of the typical genus
_Pteropus_, of which it is the sole representative in the Indian
peninsula, the tail in _P. medius_ is entirely deficient, the tongue
is of moderate size, and the molar teeth well developed--five on each
side in the upper, and six in the lower jaw; the nostrils project, and
are separated by a deep notch; the wing-membranes spring from the sides
of the back, and are attached to the back of the first joint of the
second toe; and the head and nape of the neck are covered with fur of a
different colour from that of the rest of the upper part of the body.
The latter is blackish or dark brown, with scattered greyish hairs.
The nape of the neck and shoulders, the chest, and upper part of the
abdomen are variable in colour from reddish-yellow or straw-colour to
dingy rusty brown, the fur of the under surface being darker than that
of the nape, and all the light tints darker in the females than in
the males. The latter have usually a tuft of stiff hairs, of a light
reddish-yellow colour, on each side of the neck. The ears, which are
nearly naked, are acutely pointed, with the outer border concave just
below the tip; the wing-membrane is dark brown, hairy beneath towards
the body.
This species is referred to by nearly all writers on Indian zoology;
but their accounts of its general habits agree closely with those given
by Sir James Tennent, and already quoted. The Bats feed on fruits of
various kinds, except oranges, according to Mr. Jerdon, and besides
figs they are especially fond of the anonads, particularly the fruit of
_Gualteria longifolia_, the soft parts of which they devour, rejecting
the kernels, with which the ground under the trees is speedily covered.
According to Mr. F. Day, the fruit of the wild almond (_Terminalia
catappa_) is also a favourite article of diet with them, and he adds,
“they sometimes carry off the almonds into the verandahs of houses,
where they extract the kernels, and in so doing frighten nervous people
into the belief that robbers are endeavouring to effect an entrance.”
In search of these and other favourite fruits, they often fly to
great distances during the night, returning with the dawn to their
sleeping-places, when a scene of confusion takes place, which has been
described as follows by Mr. Tickell:--“From the arrival of the first
comer, until the sun is high above the horizon, a scene of incessant
wrangling and contention is enacted among them, as each endeavours to
secure a higher and better place, or to eject a neighbour from too
close vicinage. In these struggles the Bats hook themselves along the
branches, scrambling about hand over hand with some speed, biting each
other severely, striking out with the long claw of the thumb, shrieking
and cackling without intermission. Each new arrival is compelled to
fly several times round the tree, being threatened from all points;
and when he eventually hooks on he has to go through a series of
combats, and be probably ejected two or three times, before he makes
good his tenure.” No doubt these squabbles are rendered more violent by
the disgracefully dissipated habits in which the Bats indulge during
their nocturnal expeditions, for, according to Mr. Francis Day and
other observers, “they often pass the night drinking the toddy from
the chatties in the cocoa-nut trees, which results either in their
returning home in the early morning in a state of extreme and riotous
intoxication, or in being found the next day at the foot of the trees
sleeping off the effects of their midnight debauch.”
[Illustration: COLLARED FRUIT BAT WITH YOUNG. (_From the Proceedings of
the Zoological Society._)]
The flesh is said by Colonel Sykes to be delicate, and without
disagreeable flavour; but he states that the only persons in Western
India who eat these Bats are the Portuguese residents. According to Mr.
Jerdon, however, many classes in the Madras presidency also eat them.
THE GREAT KALONG.[148]
This, which is the largest of all known Bats, is an inhabitant of the
great islands of the Eastern Archipelago, especially Java and Sumatra,
where it exists in immense numbers. The species is also said to occur
in the Philippine Islands and in Malacca. It is nearly allied to the
Indian Fruit Bat, but grows to a larger size, attaining a length of
about fourteen inches, and an expanse of wing of four feet and upwards.
The colour varies considerably, but is generally brownish-black on the
back, with the top of the head and the neck reddish-yellow, and tinged
with chestnut-brown beneath. The muzzle, ears, and wing-membranes
are black; the ears are shorter than in the Indian species, and the
outer margin is less concave towards the tip; and the wing-membranes
originate on the sides of the body at a greater distance from the
centre of the back. Some of the varieties have been described as
distinct species; two especially, in which the fur is entirely black,
figure in the catalogues under the names of _Pteropus Pluto_ and _P.
funereus_.