2 DAUBENTONIA 



Sciurus madagascariensis Gmel., Syst. Nat., I, 1788, p. 152, No. 29. 

 Daubentonia madagascariensis E. Geoff., Decad. Philos. et Litt., 



IV, 1795, p. 195 ; Dahlb., Stud. Zool. Fam. Reg. Natur. Anim., 



1856, p. 236, t. 12 ; Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1863, p. 151 ; 



Id. Cat. Monkeys, Lemurs and Fruit-eating Bats, Brit. Mus., 



1870, p. 97; Schleg., Mus. Pays-Bas, Simise, 1876, p. 334; 



Elliot, Cat. Mamm. Field Columb. Mus., VIII, 1906, p. 522, 



fig. LXXX, Zool. Ser. 

 Lemur psilodactylus Shaw, Gen. Zool., ISOO, p. 109. 

 Tarsiiis daubentoni Shaw, Gen. Zool., 1800, p. 114; Fisch., Anat. 



Maki, 1804, p. 37; Fitzing., Sitzungsb. Meth. Naturg. Akad. 



Wissen. Wien, 1870, p. 1756. 

 Cheiromys madagascariensis E. Geoff., Cat. Mamm., Mus. Hist. 



Nat- Paris, 1803, p. 181 ; Temm., Men. Mamm., 1820, p. 106 ; 



I. Geoff., Cat. Primates, 1851, p. 85; Ellis, Madag., 1858, p. 



144, fig. ; Owen, Trans. Zool. Soc. Lond., V, 1862, p. 133, 



pis. XIV-XXVI; Peters, Abhandl. k. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, 



1865, p. 79 ; Forbes, Handb. Primates, I, 1894, p. 14. 

 Lemur psilodactylus Blainv., Osteog., 1841, Atl., Lemur V. 

 Otolicnus madagascariensis van d. Hoev., Tijdsch. Natuur. Gesch. 



Phys., 1814, p. 43. 

 Chiromys madagascariensis Forsyth-Major, Proc. Zool. Soc. 



Lond., 1901, p. 131 ; Shaw, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1883, p. 44. 



AYE- AYE. 



Type locality. Island of Madagascar. 



Geogr. Distr. Island of Madagascar on east coast from Bay of 

 Antongil to Mahanoro. 



Color. General color black, the white basal half of the hairs show- 

 ing; nose, spots over eyes, cheeks, chin, throat, neck in front and on 

 sides yellowish white ; tail very long, bushy, black ; hands and feet, 

 black. 



Measurements. Total length, about 875 ; tail, 475. Skull : occipito- 

 nasal length, 83 ; Hensel, 65 ; zygomatic width, 61 ; intertemporal width, 

 35 ; palatal length, 28 ; breadth of braincase, 45 ; median length of 

 nasals, 15; length of upper molar series, 13; length of mandible, 38; 

 length of lower molar series, 12. 



This extraordinary little animal, possessing characters both of the 

 Rodentia and Quadrumana, and known popularly as the 'Aye-Aye,' 

 was first discovered by Sonnerat during his visit to the Island of 

 Madagascar. The name it bears was suggested to Sonnerat by the 

 exclamation "Aye-Aye" of the natives who accompanied him, and 



