A REMARKABLE MAMMAL i8i 



If, however, "hai-hai" be, as Mr. Baron asserts, the 

 creature's own cry, then it would seem more hkely that 

 the exclamation has been derived from the animal, and 

 not that the animal has taken its name from the exclamation. 

 Anyway, there seems undoubtedly to be some kind of 

 connection between the exclamation " hai-hai " and the 

 name " aye-aye," and we may therefore be content to 

 accept the latter as the popular title for Chiromys 

 madagascariensis. The naturalist to whom allusion is 

 made above tells me, however, that the creature certainly 

 has another vernacular title in some parts of the island. 



As already mentioned, the naturalist Gmelin, by whom 

 the aye-aye was originally described, regarded it as a 

 kind of squirrel — an opinion shared at first by the great 

 anatomist Cuvier. This view of its relationship was 

 doubtless formed from the somewhat squirrel-like appearance 

 of the animal, and the approximation made by its teeth to 

 the rodent type. When, however, the Paris specimen was 

 more carefully examined, and its skull and certain other 

 bones removed from the skin, it became apparent that its 

 relationships were evidently with the lemurs ; the German 

 naturalist Schreber being the one to whom the honour of 

 this identification is due. 



From Schreber's time till i860 little or nothing more 

 was done to advance our knowledge of the aye-aye, of 

 which the Paris specimen remained the only example 

 in Europe. In 1858, however. Dr. Sandwith left England 

 for Madagascar, and previous to his departure Sir Richard 

 (then Professor) Owen impressed upon him the importance 

 of endeavouring to obtain specimens of this rare animal. 

 A year later the Professor received a letter stating that 

 with much difficulty a specimen had been secured ; and 

 this in due course arrived in England preserved in spirit. 



