{93}The species of this Sub-family are confined to the island of Madagascar. Our knowledge of their general characters, anatomical structure and habits, is very complete, through the researches, both in the field, of M. Grandidier, and in the study, of Prof. Alphonse Milne-Edwards. These results are published in their magnificent "Histoire de Madagascar," to which the reader is referred for fuller information. The _Indrisinæ_, on account of their superior organisation, and especially their relatively large brain, are considered to be the highest of all the Lemuroids. They are essentially arboreal. If they come to the ground they sit upright on their hind-legs, and progress by jumps, holding their arms above their heads. They are easily tamed, and become gentle in confinement; but they are not very intelligent. The Endrinas "never manifest in any very marked manner," so MM. Milne-Edwards and Grandidier tell us, "the passions that affect the Apes so vividly; their countenance, almost as immobile as that of an herbivorous or carnivorous animal, exhibits neither anger nor pleasure. In captivity they do not seek to be caressed; they appear neither to become attached to their master, nor to take interest in anything about them." Many of their actions, however, and the peculiar sounds they often utter, recall those of Monkeys. Some of the species are diurnal and others nocturnal. The Sub-family has been divided into three genera, _Avahis_ with one species; _Propithecus_, with three species, and _Indris_ with a single species. All its members are remarkable for the extraordinary amount of variation in the coloration of their fur. {94}THE AVAHI LEMURS. GENUS AVAHIS. _Avahi_, Jourdan, C. R., Journal l'Inst., ii., no. 62, p. 231 (1834). _Avahis_, Milne-Edwards and Grandid., Hist. Nat. Madag., Mamm., i., p. 320 (with full synonymy). This genus is monotypic, containing but a single species, whose characters include necessarily those of the genus. I. THE WOOLLY AVAHI. AVAHIS LANIGER. _Lemur laniger_, Gm., Syst. Nat., i., p. 44, no. 10 (1788). _Microrhynchus laniger_, Jourdan, Thèse inaug. Soc. Phys., Grenoble, 1834; Mivart, P. Z. S., 1866, p. 151, pi. xv. _Avahis laniger_, Milne-Edwards and Grandid., Hist. Nat. Madag., Mamm., p. 325 (with full synonymy), Atlas, pls. 9, 10. (_Plate X._) CHARACTERS.--Fur woolly; the head nearly round; the face short in proportion to the head; muzzle short, covered with hair; the nose and region of the chin hairy; nose-pad on lip large; nostrils opening into a cavity on the upper lip below the skin. Eyes large, the pupil vertical; ears small, concealed in fur. Tail a little longer than the body; body short, stumpy. Third, fourth and fifth fingers flattened; third and fourth toes united by a membrane as far as the first joint. PLATE X. [Illustration: THE WOOLLY AVAHI.]