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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY.— SUPPLEMENT. 



each other in some superficial marks, certain 

 signs of adaptations to a similar sort of food, or 

 similar habits. The study of beings pursued in 

 a comparative way in all the details of their or- 

 ganization and all the acts of their life, this alone 

 can safely lead us to the distinction between what 

 is general and what is particular, and, as the 

 highest end, to an understanding of the great 

 laws of Nature. The path is barely marked out, 

 and we see in perspective the endless range of 

 triumphs that will successively enlarge the realm 

 of science. If we were obliged to limit ourselves 

 to weighing the relations between the organism 

 and the circumstances of life, acquiring certainty 

 with regard to the habits of an animal before di- 

 rect observation from considering its conformation 

 only, or with regard to organic peculiarities from 

 considering its recognized aptitudes, even with 

 this restriction, the result would be very satis- 

 factory. But above this result there rises the 

 question of instincts, intelligence,, and feeling, in 

 their relations to the organism — psychology, rest- 

 ing on facts capable of demonstration through 

 observation, experiment, and comparison, that 

 precious source of light. 



In this order of ideas we have to concern 

 ourselves with facts which will find their explana- 

 tion in the views of most recent science, and 

 with subjects which for their full comprehension 

 require investigations of a new kind. In a field 

 so vast, we must necessarily dwell on only a small 

 number of instances, chosen among the most in- 

 structive and striking ones, and neglect matters 

 of commonplace science. It would be of little 

 use to trouble ourselves about limbs turned into 

 oars for swimming, and wings for flying, or about 

 teeth adapted to the food and the appetite, since 

 such instances are but the common citations by 

 which naturalists display their powers of infer- 

 ence. In this study, which must be restricted in 

 its range, we shall not adduce man as an instance, 

 nor point out in his case such coincidences as 

 those we intend to examine in the case of various 

 animals. For the sake of a term of comparison, 

 it will be enough to say that man, endowed with 

 intelligence far superior to that of all other 

 creatures, possesses equally marked physical ad- 

 vantages in the posture of his body and the shape 

 of his hand, that incomparable natural instru- 

 ment, The instrument being given, instinct and 

 intelligence must be given, sufficient to put it to 

 use, and to draw all the advantage possible from 

 it, This is an absolutely general truth, which 

 will certainly result with irresistible conviction 

 from observation, and particularly from the com- 



parison of facts — a truth which must be kept 

 constantly before our eyes. 



As we intend, in the first place, to examine 

 some animals of different classes remarkable for 

 their peculiarities of external conformation and 

 at the same time for their special aptitudes, it 

 seems well to call attention to a very curious 

 mammal, the aye-aye, or chiromys, of Madagas- 

 car. 



After having traversed China and the East 

 Indies during the years from 17*74 to 1*780, Son- 

 nerat, a French traveler, landed on the western 

 shores of that great region of Madagascar, so 

 interesting for its natural productions. The na- 

 tives brought him an animal the size of a cat, 

 covered with a thick fleece ; it was the first time 

 they had seen it themselves, and they expressed 

 their surprise by repeating the sound ayc-at/e. 

 Sonnerat, as much struck with amazement as the 

 Malgaches were, attempted in vain to connect 

 this mammal with some known type ; he found 

 resemblances in its physiognomy to squirrels, 

 makis, and monkeys, all together. By a singular 

 whim, the naturalist-traveler named the curious 

 animal by the exclamation that had struck his 

 ear so forcibly, and the name has been preserved. 



The aye-aye, which displays its activity only 

 during the night, has great, rounded eyes, like 

 those of hooting and screech owls. It is peace- 

 able and timid, sleeping all day with its head hid- 

 den between its legs, and the tail curled under- 

 neath. To these traits it adds one thing more 

 extraordinary and altogether unique : the two 

 fore-feet, which resemble a little the monkey's 

 hand, have the fingers rather thick and covered 

 with hair; one of these fingers, the middle one, 

 is bare, quite slender, and possessed of the power 

 of lifting itself and acting quite independently of 

 the others ; it seems like a deformity. In this 

 point there is displayed in a striking manner a 

 relation between a detail of shape, peculiar con- 

 ditions of existence, and a very special instinct. 

 Sonnerat kept a male and female alive for two 

 months, feeding them on boiled rice, with which 

 they contented themselves for want of anything 

 better, and, doubtless, to the injury of their 

 health. Our traveler relates that they used their 

 two slender fingers in eating, as the Chinese use 

 chopsticks. This remark would not have thrown 

 much light on the true use of this slender finger, 

 if we were not better informed by statements 

 gained from the natives of Madagascar, and late- 

 ly by the observations of travelers. The aye-aye 

 lives partly on insects, choosing the plumpest and 

 most delicate— the larvae that live in the trunks 



