The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1896-10-08
MEN AND MONKEYS.
THE DIVA RES AND TIE LEMURS OF
MADAGASCAR.

People Who Average Only Feet
Inches In Height Queer Little Animals
Which Are Considered Connecting Links
Between Monkeys and Lower Orders.
There arr at least t~o distinct tribes
of Malagasy dwarfs who are among
the smallest people IN the world. The
kimos average only , feet inches i'll
height They are rather light in color,
have remarkably long arms and are
bold in defending their territory, using
spear and bow OF pastoral habits, they
excel IN certain haudicratts. They dwell
in the southern center of the island, at
a high elevation above the ga.
Even more moukeylike are the Be.
hosy, who occupy denselv wooded
country among the hills Of Bemaraha.
They Jump from tree to tree just ike
monkeys and are not easily followed,
lnasmuch as their territory Is exceed
ingly rocky They ar very timId. and
il Is said that they die of fright when
captured In the northern part of Mad
agascar Is the most remarkable natural
fortress IN the world. 1t Is occupied by
a tribe who call themselves the people
Of the rocks The fortress Is lofty
and precipitous rock, of enormous size,
], 900 feet nigh and eight square miles
IN area. Its sides are so steep that it
cannot be climbed without artificial
means Within Ii Is hollow, and the
only entrance is by subterranean
passage, portion Of which i so narrow
that only one person can pass ut time,
while on either side Of the path is deep
water
There is plenty Of room for explora-
tion and fresh discovery in Madagascar,
which is the third largest island i'll the
world. II is nearly four times the size
Of England and Wales, having an ares
of $50, 600 square miles. The most re-
markable animals found there are the
true lemurs, which exist nowhere else
In the world, though related forms oc-
cur in Africa and India. They are re-
garded by naturalists as links connect
ing the monkeys with the lower MANI
mails. There are about 20 species, and
bolt contains one that IS entirely new
to science. The biggest are about three
feet long.
One Of the most remarkable species is
called the "specter' because 1t is pure
white, and III going about at night has
a striking and ghostlike appearance.
Other kinds are black, with bands of
yellow aud red-in fact, they are very
striking looking animals. Roughly
speaking, thcy are divided into two
groups-the long taiIed and the short
tailed. The latter do not survive cap
tiylty for any length of time, but the
long tailed ones have been brought to
Europe and have been induced to breed
in cages, especially a peculiar ring tail
ed species.
There used to be lemurs in North
America long ages before man appeared
on this continent. Professor Cope, the
famous paloontologist, found the skull Of
one in Colorado few years ago He
regards 1t as the most precious object III
his great collection Of fossils The skull
Is not bigger than II squirrels. Anato-
mists classify animals by their tect'
more accurately than in any other way.
The jaws of this small lemur are pro-
vided with IL dentition SO surprisingly
humanlike that one might actually i'm
agine the teeth be those Of minia-
ture man.
II is thought thar the lemurs may
have originated on the American conti-
nent and spread westward to Asia over
land route which has since disap-
peared That Is only Il speculative the
DRY. 1t is practically certain that there
was anciently "A land connection between
Madagascar and Africa. A great geo
logical CONFUSION having separated the
island from the mainland, the lemurs III
Madagascar found conditions favorable
for their survival, while elsewhere they
disappeared. Thus it comes about that
this strange group of mammals is re-
stricted to Madagascar today. They are
very monkeylike. In fact, they might
be called low down monkeys. They live
III trees and feed on fruits and insects
The lemurs wandered about in focks
By means of their strong hind legs they
are able to leap from tree to tree dis
tances OF ten feet or more, so that they
look as if they were flying. Occasionally
they betake themselves to the GROUND.
walking for short spaces erect and way
ing their arms over their heads in such
"a way as to present Il remarkable effect.
Toward nightfall the forests resound
with their startled cries They eat tine
eggs of birds when they can get them.
Though disposed by nature to be shy,
they are quite harmless and tamable to
some extent in captivity,
Al night the woods of Madagascar
are vocal with the wailing cries of the
lemurs, which sound like the lamenta-
tons of human beings in distress. These
creatures have heads more foxlike than
monkeylike with sharp muzzles ana
large, expressive eyes. The smallest
species of lemur : about the size of
big rat Another kind has white whisk-
ers, and yet another is provided with
a bushy tail which III repose is usually
csiled around the ANIMALS neck like
comforter.
Color IT African Children.
The ChllG:en OF ,he blacklist Africans