► Royal Navy ► 1841 Niger expedition ► BookChapter XIII ◄
A NARRATIVE
OF THE
EXPEDITION TO THE RIVER NIGER.
VOLUME II, APPENDIX.
NATURAL HISTORY.
MAMMALIA.
Order I. PRIMATES.
Family I. Hominidae.
Measurement of some of the West African Tribes.
Edeeyah, from examination of 15 males.
| Height | 5 ft. 6 1/6 in. |
| Facial angle, 72°; most favourable, 74°5; least do., 70° | |
| From occipital protuberance to nasal spine | 13 3/4 in. |
| From meatus auditorius externus to the other | 13 1/2 in. |
| From trochanter major to the ground | 32 3/8 in. |
| Round the chest | 37 1/2 in. |
Krus, from examination of 9 males.
| Height | 5 ft. 5 1/8 in. |
| Facial angle rather above 71°; most favourable, 74°; least do., 70° | |
| From occipital protuberance to nasal spine | 14 in. |
| From meatus auditorius externus to the other | 13 1/2 in. |
| From trochanter major to the ground | 32 7/8 in. |
| Round the chest | 34 3/4 in. |
Fishmen, from examination of 10 males.
| Height | 5 ft. 5 1/2 in. |
| Facial angle not quite 71°; most favourable, 74°5; least do., 69°5 | |
| From occipital protuberance to nasal spine | 13 9/10 in. |
| From meatus auditorius externus to the other | 13 1/2 in. |
| From trochanter major to the ground | 33 in. |
| Round the chest | 36 2/3 in. |
Mandingoes, from examination of 6 males.
| Height | 5 ft. 9 in. |
| Facial angle, 72°; most favourable, 73°; least do., 71° | |
| From occipital protuberance to nasal spine | 13 3/4 in. |
| From meatus auditorius externus to the other | 13 1/2 in. |
| From trochanter major to the ground | 36 in. |
| Round the chest | 32 1/2 in. |
Thus the Mandingoes are much the tallest of these four tribes, but with lesser dimensions of chest, and a comparatively greater length of lower extremities. The general proportions of the head, are nearly alike in all, as far as can be judged from measurements, taken in the living subject, laterally from one nieatus auditorius externus to the other, and lengthways from the occipital protuberance to the nasal spine. As regards the facial angle, the Edeeyahs may be considered to hold the highest position; secondly, the Mandingoes; thirdly, the Krus; and lastly, the Fishmen.
We regret, that, in consequence of the superstitious fears of the other tribes, we were unable to procure their admeasurements.
Family II. Simiadae.
Colobus Pennantii, (Waterhouse, in Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., May 8, 1838.)
Col. supra nigrescens, ad latera fulvescenti-rufus: subtùs flavescens; caudâ fusco-nigricante; genis albis.
| Longitudo capitis-corporisque | 27 unc. | 0 lin. |
| " caudae | 29 | 0 |
"The prevailing colour is bright rusty red; the head, back of the neck, and the central portion of the back, are black; the cheeks and throat white or dirty white; chest, fore part of the shoulders, the under parts of body and inner side of the limbs are dirty yellow; inner side of the thighs whitish; the hairs of the tail are brownish black. The fur is long and not very glossy; that on the head and fore parts of the body being longest. There is no soft under fur; the hairs are of an uniform colour to the base, or at least in a very slight degree paler at that part. The portion of the back winch is described as black, partakes slightly of the rusty hue which prevails over the other parts of the body; it occupies but a narrow portion of the back, and blends indistinctly into the rust colour. The lower parts of the limbs are blackish below the knees and elbows externally, but within yellowish white.
Presented by Dr. Thomson to the British Museum.
Colobus Satanas. (Waterhouse, in Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., May 8, 1838.)
Col. niger; vellere longissimo.
| Longitudo capitis-corporisque | 31 unc. | 0 lin. |
| " caudae | 36 | 0 |
Habitat. Fernando Po. Called by the natives, Mucho.
"It is of an uniform black colour. The longest hairs on the back measure ten inches. The fur is but slightly glossy, and the hairs are of an uniform colour to the base. There is no under fur.
Cercopithecus Erythrotis. (Waterhouse, in Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., May 8, 1838.)
Cerc. griseus; pilis corporis suprà flavo nigroque annulatis; gulâ genisque albis; brachiis nigrescentibus; caudâ splendidè rufâ, lineâ nigrescente per partem superiorem excurrente, apice nigrescente; regione anali auribusque rufis.
| Longitudo capitis-corporisque | 17 unc. | 0 lin. |
| " caudae | 23 | 0 |
Habitat. Fernando Po. Called by the natives, Mobah.
"The hairs on the upper parts of the body are black annulated with yellow; on the hinder parts of the back the yellow assumes a deep golden hue, but, unlike the Moustache monkey, the black prevails over the yellow; on the sides of the body and the outer side of the hind legs, the hairs are greyish; and on the belly and inner side of the limbs they are greyish white: the fore legs are blackish externally; a dark mark extends backwards from the eye to the ear; below this on the cheeks there is a tuft of white hairs, beneath which the hairs are grizzled black and yellow; tip of the nose and ears, and greater part of the tail rusty red.
Presented by Dr. Thomson to the British Museum.
Cercopithecus Burnetti. (Gray, Ann. Nat. Hist., 1842. p. 256.)
Cerc, cinereo-nigro; gulâ, genis, abdomine, brachiis, femoribus intùs, cinereo-albidis; vellere longo, copioso, rigido, inferiorè pallido; caudâ pilis flavescenti-fuscis indutâ.
Longitudo capitis, corporisque, 19 unc. 0 lin.
Habitat. Fernando Po.
"The prevailing colour is greyish black; head, neck, and upper part of the back, yellow dotted; throat, cheeks, abdomen, inner sides of fore legs and thighs, greyish white; face black; hair of the cheek and forehead yellow, with a small tuft of black hair over each eye; fur very thick, hairs long, rather rigid, pale at the base, then greyish black; those of the head, neck, and upper part of the back and base of the tail, with two or three broad yellow-brown subterminal bands. It was named by Mr. Gray, Burnetti, in compliment to Sir William Burnett, the distinguished Medical Director-General of Her Majesty's Navy.
Presented by Dr. Thomson to the British Museum.
Cercopithecus Pogonias. (Bennet, in Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., June, 1833.)
Cerc. nigrescens, albo punctulatus; dorso medio, prymnâ, cauda supernè et ad apicem, fasciâque, temporali nigris; fronte, scelidibusque externè flavidis, nigro punctulatis; mystacibus longissimis, albido-flavescentibus; corpore caudâque subtùs, artubusque internè, flavido-rufis.
| Long. corporis cum capite | 17 unc. |
| " caudae | 24 |
Habitat. Fernando Po, Western Africa.
"The hairs of the upper surface are black, ringed with whitish, producing a grizzled appearance, which occupies the back part of the head, the fore part of the back, the sides, the outer surface of the anterior limbs and the posterior bands. In the middle of the back commences a broad black patch, which extends to the tail, and is continued along its upper surface for about two-thirds of the length of that organ, the remaining portion being black both above and below. On the forehead the hairs are yellowish ringed with black; a few black hairs occupy the middle line; and on each side passing from above the eye to the ear, is a broad patch of black. The whiskers expand very broadly on each side of the face; the hairs composing them are yellowish white, occasionally, but very sparingly, ringed with dusky black; the ear has internally a long tuft of hairs of the same colour with that of the whiskers; the outer side of the hinder limbs, the hands excepted, is yellowish grizzled with black, their colour being intermediate in intensity between the lightest portion of the sides and the whiskers; the under surface of the body, the insides of the limbs, and the under surface of the proximal two-third of the tail, are reddish yellow.
Specimens presented to the British Museum and Zoological Society, by Dr. Thomson.
Family IV. Lemuridae.
Galago Alleni. (Waterhouse, in Proc. Zool. Soc., Lond., 1837.)
Gal. auribus permagnis, digitis perlongis; vellere intensè plumbeo, rufescente-lavato; corpore subtùs flavo lavato.
| Longitudo ab apice rostri ad caudae basin | 8 unc. | 1 lin. |
| " caudae | 10 | 0 |
| " auris | 1 | 2 1/2 |
| Latitudo auris | 0 | 11 |
| Longtudo pollicis antepedum | 0 | 6 |
| " digiti longissimi | 1 | 1 |
| " policis pedum posticorum | 0 | 7 |
| " digiti longissimi | 1 | 2 |
| " pedis postici a calce ad apicem digitorum | 2 | 11 |
Habitat. Fernando Po, Western Africa.
"This animal, which has four incisors in the upper jaw and six in the lower, is about the same size as the Galago Senegalensis, but may readily be distinguished from that species by the greater size of the ears, and the great length of the fingers and toes. In the colouring there is also a difference, G. Senegalensis being grey washed with yellow, whereas G. Alleni is of a deep slate grey, all the hairs of the upper part being of a rusty yellow at the apex, or, as on the fore-legs, rusty at the tip. The under parts of the body are of a paler hue than the upper, the hairs being of a dirty yellow colour at the tip; but, like those of the upper parts, they are of a slate grey for the greater portion of their length; on the throat and chin each hair is whitish at the apex. The hairs covering the feet are of a deep brown colour. The tail is dusky brown.
This animal was named Alleni by Mr. Waterhouse in honour of Captain W. Allen, R.N., who brought one to England on his first visit to the Niger.
A specimen was presented to the British Museum by Dr. Thomson.
Family VI. Vespertilionidae.
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