THE LEMUR OF MAYOTTE.[121]
There is a kind of Lemur which lives in the island of Mayotte, one of the Comoro group between Madagascar and the mainland of Africa, and which is not found elsewhere. It is known as the Lemur Mayottensis, or the Lemur of Mayotte, and is remarkable for the strange variation in the colour of its fur. Probably there are five different colours, which are peculiar to different individuals of this species, and they have all received different names. These are termed varieties. But of what are they varieties, and which is the animal whence they have varied? These questions cannot be answered; and therefore this group of forms constitutes a species—a species really being a term which includes the sum of all the possible varieties of an animal. One of the varieties is the Black-fronted Lemur, which inhabits Madagascar itself, and as there is every probability that at one time the Comoro Islands were joined on to Madagascar, the existence of apparently different species, but really only varieties, can be explained.
These animals live in companies composed of from six to twenty, in the virgin forests of Mayotte, and they may be seen in broad daylight or at night. They lead an arboreal life, but they occasionally come to the ground after fallen fruit. They are hunted with Dogs, and when closely pressed, they take refuge in the highest branches, look fixedly at their enemy, growl, and wave their tails. When they see the hunter they rush off and take prodigious leaps, and go into the very depths of the forest. Should one be wounded it will defend itself against the Dogs, and will even jump upon them and bite their ears. They are fond of fruit, and especially of the wild date, and they wander far and near in numbers seeking their favourite food.
THE MONGOOSE LEMUR, OR WOOLLY MACACO.[122]
The great naturalist Buffon had a Lemur sent to him as a present, which he kept as a pet for many years. At first it ran about the house, and was tame and full of fun, roaming here and there, and settling down before the fire like a common Cat. It was very good-natured, and became a great favourite; but with age came ill-temper, and it became cross and vicious; moreover, it was always making disturbances, so it had to be chained up. Having some ingenuity and perseverance, it managed to slip its chain now and then, and to escape. It made its way directly into the street, and used to visit a confectioner’s shop, where it very quietly and systematically roamed in search of sweets, devouring all it could lay its hands on. If it could not get sweets it would take fruit, and was quite heedless regarding the price or the rarity of its desired treats. When it was known that it had escaped, if the shop-people had not already told Buffon, every one knew where it was to be caught, and a great trouble the catching was, for it got into corners, showed fight, and bit, and resisted being touched very decidedly. The cold, however, was its great enemy, and it always suffered much from it, and finally died from its effects.
The Mongoose Lemur, as it is often called, has a long head, flat forehead, and large canine teeth. It is of a reddish-grey colour generally, the crown of the head, the face, and chin being black; moreover, there is a streak of the same colour up the forehead, and across the crown. The cheeks and the side of the forehead are iron-grey, and this and its black nose distinguish it.
MONGOOSE LEMUR, OR WOOLLY MACACO. (Male and Female, partly after Sclater.)
(From the Proceedings of the Zoological Society.)
It carries its fine tail well stuck up when it runs about, and jumps on all-fours from place to place, and grunts with pleasure when fed and noticed.