. An introduction to the study of mammals living and extinct. Mammals. 692 PRIMA TES of evening they awake; and during the night they ramble among the branches of trees, slowly and quietly, in search of their food, which consists of tender leaves and fruit, small birds, insects, and mice. When in quest of living prey they move noiselessly till quite close, and then suddenly seize it with one of their hands. The female produces but one young one at a time. L. tardigradus was placed by Linnseus at the head of the list of species of his genus Lemur, and its habits doubtless suggested the generic
. An introduction to the study of mammals living and extinct. Mammals. 692 PRIMA TES of evening they awake; and during the night they ramble among the branches of trees, slowly and quietly, in search of their food, which consists of tender leaves and fruit, small birds, insects, and mice. When in quest of living prey they move noiselessly till quite close, and then suddenly seize it with one of their hands. The female produces but one young one at a time. L. tardigradus was placed by Linnseus at the head of the list of species of his genus Lemur, and its habits doubtless suggested the generic name which. Fig. 329.—The Gray Loris {Nycticebm cjitcreus). From A. Milne-Edwards, N. Archives du Miiseum, vol. iii. pi. 3. was transferred by GeofFroy to the less nocturnal and spectre-Uke Madagascar members of the group.'^ Loris.^—Upper incisors very small and equal. Orbits very large, and only separated in the middle line above by a thin vertical plate of bone. Nasals and premaxillse produced forwards considerably beyond the anterior limits of the maxillse, and supporting a pointed nose. Body and limbs slender. No external tail. Vertebras: C 7, D 14, L 9, S 3, C 6. This genus is represented only by the Slender Loris {L. gracilis) of Southern India and Ceylon (Fig. 330). This species is common in some of the forest regions of Southern India, and may be purchased in the bazaars at Madras, its eyes being regarded as a remedy by the natives for ophthalmic diseases. It is a strange-looking creature, about the size of a squirrel, of a yellowish-brown colour, with large, prominent eyes, pointed nose, ^ For the anatomy of this genus, see J. L. C. Shroeder van der Kolk and W. Vrolik, " Recherches d'Anatomie comparee sur le genre Sknops d'llliger," in Bijdrageii tot de Dierkunde, Part I, Amsterdam, 1848-54. ^ Geoffroy, Mag. Encyclop. 2d ann. vol. i. p. 48 (1796).. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced f
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