262 THE ODYSSEY OF AN ANIMAL COLLECTOR 
and prepare them, and after a few days I stopped buying any more. 
Some I kept alive in captivity for a while and these became quite 
tame; in fact only a few days after capture they allowed them- 
selves to be handled like domesticated white mice. 
The Macrotarsomys in this region, although not uncommon, 
are very local, which is probably accounted for by the nature of 
the soil. The few specimens collected in the hills were obviously 
stragglers driven there in the dry season by the grass fires which 
sweep the plains and leave large areas quite bare. They are not 
very prolific and seem to have rather a definite breeding season, 
which is probably the rainy season when food is plentiful. My 
specimens were caught in the dry season, and out of the whole 
lot only one was found to contain young (these numbered two 
only), and only one was immature. 
I was not sorry when the time came to make the two-day jour- 
ney of thirty-five miles back to Ihosy. Under the best conditions 
the skinning of small mammals can be somewhat tedious, but in 
the semi-darkness of a small native hut with flies swarming all 
over the carcass, and with no table or chair, it is an ordeal. Quite 
apart from this, a long stay in a Malagasy village is not exactly a 
joy, as fruit and green vegetables are unobtainable, and after a 
while one is reduced to living on sweet potatoes and rice. Worst 
of all is the lack of sleep at night because of the ceaseless activities 
of vermin. 
While at Ihosy, I decided to visit the southern part of the eastern 
forest to see how the small mammals there compared with those 
farther north. This necessitated a journey to Ivohibe, about fifty- 
five miles to the east, which is a picturesque town on the border 
of the Bara country, and dominated by the impressive Ivohibe 
Mountain (7,000 feet). 
After a delay of a few days while getting supplies and some 
suitable porters I set off on foot to a village sixteen miles to the 
east; after a long climb we crossed the foothills of Ivohibe Moun- 
tain and entered the country inhabited by the Tanala tribe. It is 
very seldom that such places are visited by Europeans and my 
arrival aroused a good deal of curiosity. 
The Chief made a speech of welcome and presented - me with a 
