_Galago demidoffi_, Fischer, Act. Soc. des Nat. Mosc., i., p. 24, f. 1
(1806); Peters, P. Z. S., 1863, p. 380, pl. xxxv.; Mivart, P. Z. S.,
1864, p. 648.
{45}_Otolicnus peli_, Temm., Esquis. Zool. Mamm., p. 42 (1853).
_Otolicnus demidoffi_, Wagner in Schreb., Säugeth. Suppl., v., p. 160
(1855).
_Hemigalago demidoffi_, Dahlb., Stud. Zool., p. 230 (1856).
_Galago murinus_, Murray, Edinb. Phil. Journ. (n.s.), x., pp. 243-251,
pl. 11 (1859).
CHARACTERS.--Head round; body short and thick; snout very narrow; long
bristles on the face, corners of the eyes, and sides of the nose; ears
long, oval, membranaceous, transparent, the inner margin haired; eyes large
and projecting; nose elongated in front, and projecting above the upper
lip; fingers slender; wrist, ankle, hands and feet short-haired; digits
naked; tail longer than body, round and slender. Length, 5 inches; tail, 8
inches.
Basal part of hair Mouse-grey. Upper side reddish-brown, more rufous down
the back, and on the tail, except its distal half, which is darker. Top of
head and sides of face darker; a narrow white streak from the brow down the
nose; ring round the eyes dark, wider on the inner side; chin, throat,
inner side of limbs, and under surface of body creamy-white. In the young,
which remains blind for several days after birth, the white nose-streak is
less defined, and the fur is shorter and lighter than that of the parents.
Orbits approximating; front bones of jaw (the pre-maxillæ) projecting
beyond the incisors; upper median pre-molar teeth with enlarged heel, and
with one or two diminutive cusps; upper molars with a small cusp on the
oblique ridge; wrist-bones elongated.
DISTRIBUTION.--Demidoff's Galago occurs in Senegal, in West Africa, and has
been obtained in Central Africa in the {46}Niam-Niam country by Dr.
Schweinfurth, and in the Monbuttu country by the late Emin Pasha.
HABITS.--Writing of Demidoff's Galago in a letter from Africa addressed to
Mr. A. Murray, Mr. Thomson says: "It was a most interesting and amusing
pet, not only quite tame, but manifesting strong attachment. 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 of 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 among
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 bound.... 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.... I have seen it maintain itself in positions where the
mere lateral pressure of its limbs appeared to be inadequate for the
purpose.... I never saw it muster courage enough to attack either a
Grasshopper or a Mantis."...