Part 17

{71}III. THE MONGOOSE LEMUR. LEMUR MONGOZ.

Lemur mongoz, Linn., S. N., p. 44, no. 2 (1766); Scl., P. Z. S., 1871, p. 231, figs, 1, 2; Schl., Mus. Pays. Bas., vii. p. 312 (1876); Milne-Edw. et Grandid., H. N. Madag., Mamm., pls. 133-153 (1890).

Lemur anjuanensis, Geoffr., Ann. Mus., xix., p. 161 (1812).

Prosimia melanocephala, Gray, P. Z. S., 1863, p. 137, pl. xviii.

Prosimia xanthomystax, Gray, P. Z. S., 1863, p. 138, pl. xvii.

CHARACTERS.--Fur woolly and thick; eyelashes long; some long bristles behind the angle of the mouth; face long; no ear-tufts and whiskers, but a sub-auricular patch of long hair; some long hairs on the digits; tail bushy.

MALE.--Head, face, streak across the crown of head and down the forehead brownish-black; ears of the same colour, white-fringed; cheeks and a spot on the sides of the forehead iron-grey; sub-auricular cheek-patch white, slightly washed with rufous; rest of upper surface reddish-grey; tail darker; chest and under side rufous-grey.

FEMALE.--Rufous-brown above; neck and shoulders white; throat white; frontal spot black; face whitish.

The colour of the fur in this species varies to an extraordinary degree, and before this fact was recognised, a number of supposed species, founded on the colour of the animals alone, were described. In course of time, however, as specimens were obtained in greater number, it became evident that the variation was only in the colour of the fur, and that there was none in their anatomical and osteological structure to warrant their being considered distinct species. They have, therefore, all been now classified by Professor Milne-Edwards and M. Grandidier in their great work on the Natural History {72}of Madagascar, as so many varieties of one species, Lemur mongoz. Of these varieties, the most important are:--

THE RED-FOOTED LEMUR. LEMUR RUFIPES.

MALE.--Face in front of a line above the eyes, dark reddish-brown; hands and feet bright rufous-brown; under side of body and inner side of limbs reddish-grey.

FEMALE.--Wrist and ankles with adjacent part of limbs above brownish-red.

THE RED-FRONTED LEMUR. LEMUR RUFIFRONS.

MALE.--Grizzly, washed with rufous; fore-arms, hands, feet, haunches, outer side of legs, and top of the head between the ears, rufous.

FEMALE.--Grizzly brown; top of head grizzly black; patch over and round the eyes greyish-white.

THE GREY-HEADED LEMUR. LEMUR CINEREICEPS.

Face and frontal spot black; cheeks, sides, top of head, side of neck, and outside of ears grey; rest of body orange-red.

THE COLLARED LEMUR. LEMUR COLLARIS.

MALE.--Head blackish-brown; cheeks, sides of throat, mark over eyes, and base of ears, yellowish-grey, washed with orange-red or rufous; a spot at the side of the nose, grey; chin, throat, and under side of the body, blackish-grey.

FEMALE.--Centre of nose black; sides of nose, chin, cheeks, including the eyes, ears, sides of throat, iron-grey, slightly flushed at the lower side of the neck under the ears with reddish-orange. Specimens from the island of Mayotte (L. mayottensis, Schl.) differ from L. collaris in having a blackish spot over the root of the tail.

{73}THE RUFOUS LEMUR. LEMUR RUFUS.

Has a yellowish-white frontal band and whiskers.

THE BLACK-FACED LEMUR. LEMUR NIGRIFRONS.

Has a brownish-black band over the forehead, including the eyes; muzzle, patch on top of head including the ears, the side of the head below the ears, sub-auricular tufts, throat and under surface, grey.

THE WHITE-FACED LEMUR. LEMUR ALBIFRONS.

Forehead, top of head, ears, throat, and chest white.

Pure albino varieties are also quite common.

DISTRIBUTION.--The Mongoose Lemur with its numerous varieties is found throughout the island of Madagascar, in Mayotte, and in Anjuan or Johanna Island, one of the Comoro group.