110 THE AYE-AYE. 
It is a tree-inhabiting animal, and skips among the branches with little quick leaps 
that have been likened to the hoppings of a frog. In order to give the little creature a 
firmer hold of the boughs about which it is constantly leaping, the palms of the hands 
are furnished with several cushions. The back of the hands are covered with soft downy 
fur, resembling the hair with which the tail is furnished. Excepting on the hands and 
tail, the fur is very thick and of a woolly character, but at the root of the tail, and at the 
wrists and ankles, it suddenly changes to the short downy covering. 
The true position of that very rare animal the AYE-AYE, seems very doubtful, some 
naturalists placing it in the position which it occupies in this work, and others, such as 
Van der Hoeven, considering it to form a link between the monkeys and the rodent 
animals. 
As will be seen by a reference to the figure, in its head and general shape it resembles 
the Galagos, but in the number and arrangement of its teeth it approaches the rodent 
type. There are no canine teeth, and the incisors are arranged in a manner similar to 
those of the rodents, the chief difference being, that instead of the chisel-hke edge which 
distinguishes the incisor teeth of the gnawing animals, those of the Aye-aye are sharply 
pointed. These curious teeth are extremely powerful, and are very deeply set in the jaw- 
bones, their sockets extending nearly the entire depth of the bone. 
The colour of the animal is a rusty brown on the upper portions of the body, the 
under parts, as well as the cheeks and throat, being of a light grey. The paws are nearly 
black. The fur of the body is thickly set, and is remarkable for an inner coating of 
downy hair of a golden tint, which sometimes shows itself through the outer coating. On 
the tail the hair’ is darker than on the body, greater in length, and in texture - much 
coarser. The tail seems to be always trailed at ler igth, and never to be set up over the 
body, like the well-known tail of the squirrel, The ears are large, and nearly destitute 
of hai. 
It is probable that the natural food of the Aye-aye, like that of the preceding 
animals, is of a mixed character, and that it eats fruit and insects indiscriminately. In 
captivity it usually fed on boiled rice, which it picked up in minute portions, ike Amine 
in the “Arabian Nights,” using, however, its slender fingers in lieu of the celebrated 
bodkin with which she made her mock meal. But in its wild state it is said to search the 
trees for insects as well as fruits, and to drag their larvee from their concealment by means 
of its delicate fingers. Buds and various fruits are also said to be eaten by this animal— 
possibly the buds may contain a hidden grub, and the entire flower be eaten for the sake 
of the living creature which it contains, as is the case with many a bud that is plucked 
by small birds in this country. 
It is a nocturnal animal like the Galagos and Lemurs, and seeks its prey by night 
only, spending the day in sleep, curled up in the dark hollow of a tree, or in some similar 
spot, where it can retire from view and from light. 
As is shown by the scientific name of the Aye-aye, it is a native of Madagascar, and 
even in that island is extremely scarce, appearing to be lmited to the western portions 
of the country, and to escape even the quick eyes of the natives. Sonnerat, the naturalist, 
was the first to discover it, and when he showed his prize to the natives, they exhibited 
ereat astonishment at the sight of an unknown animal, and the exclamations of surprise 
are said to have given the name of Aye-aye to the creature. The name “ Cheiromys,” 
signifies “ Handed Mouse,” and is given to the animal because it bears some resemblance to 
a large mouse or rat which is furnished with hand-like paws instead of feet. 
With the exception of the Aye-aye, all the Quadrumanous animals bear their mammee 
upon the breast, and clasp their young to their bosoms with their arms. But in the 
Aye-aye, the milk-giving organs are placed on the lower portion of the abdomen, and thus 
a great distinction is at once made between this creature and the true quadrumana, 
Indeed, there are so many points of discrepancy in this strange being, that it is quite 
impossible to make it agree with the systematic laws which have hitherto been laid down, 
and naturalists place it in one order or another, according to the stress which they lay on 
different points of its organization. 
The eyes are of a brownish-yellow. colour, and very sensitive to light, as may be 
