A Hand-book to the Primates, Volume 2 (of 2)

by Henry O. Forbes

Semnopithecus maurus, F. Cuv., Hist. Nat., Mamm., pl. xii. (1822); Wagner, in Schreber, Säugeth. Suppl., v., p. 23 (1855); Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 15 (1870); Schl., Mus. Pays-Bas, vii., p. 54 (1876); Anderson, Zool. Res. Exped. Yun-nan, p. 27 (1878; with full synonymy).

Semnopithecus pyrrhus, Horsfield, Zool. Res. Java, plate (1821); Schl., Mus. Pays-Bas, vii., p. 50 (1876).

Semnopithecus pruinosus, Desmar., Mammolog., 1820, Suppl., p. 333; Schl., Mus. Pays-Bas, vii., p. 58 (1876); Jentink, Notes Leyd. Mus., xi., p. 215, pl. ix. (1887); id., op. cit., xiii., p. 207 (1891).

Simia ceylonicus, Desmoul., Dict. Class. Hist. Nat., vii., p. 572 (1825).

Semnopithecus cristatus, Müll., Tijds. V. Nat. Gesch., ii., p. 316 (1835); Müll. et Schl., Verhandl., pp. 61, 77, pl. 12, fig. 1 (young; 1839-44); Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 15 (1870); Anderson, Zool. Res. Exped. Yun-nan, p. 29 (1878); Hose, Mamm. Borneo, p. 15 (1893).

Characters.—Hair radiating from a centre, or divergent all round the face, which is reddish-black; long and bushy whiskers on the sides of the face and passing behind the ears. Hair generally long. General colour all over, deep black, the hairs tipped with silver-grey in aged individuals; spot at the under side of the base of the tail white. Length of body, 17½ inches; of tail, 23½ inches.

Young.—Uniform reddish-brown, changing soon to the colour of the adult; the rufous vanishing from the whiskers last of all. The colour of the young is said especially to be the case in females only, and to persist through life; but, as Dr. Anderson remarks, it is not a common variety, and such coloured adults are highly prized in Java.

Distribution.—Malay Peninsula. Sumatra; Padang, Bencoolen, the Lampongs. Java. Billiton. Borneo; on the Baram river, and also on Mt. Dulit.

Habits.—These Monkeys ascend the mountains in Borneo to about 2,000 feet; they are also fairly common in the low country, and are called by the Dyaks "Bigok," and by the Kayans "Chikok," from the noise they make. (C. Hose.)

XIX. THE BANDED LANGUR. SEMNOPITHECUS FEMORALIS.