550 AFFINITIES OF 7ARSTOS: CHAP. 
borings of the larva of a certain beetle of which the Lemur is 
particularly fond, and can extract the insect, or at any rate 
discoyer its position, when it may be extracted by the powerful 
chisel-shaped teeth. The partiality of the Aye-aye for animal 
food of any kind including insects has been both reaffirmed and 
denied; and Mr. Bartlett has seen the creature use its slender 
finger for combing out its hair, and for other purposes of the 
“toilet.” Dr. Oudemans has figured in his paper an apple which 
has been largely eaten by the Chiromys; the fleshy pulp has 
been entirely excavated, leaving only the core and the skin, which 
are untouched. The Rev. Mr. Baron is one of the latest writers 
upon the ways of life of Chiromys.’ He states that it inhabits 
the most dense parts of the forests. It has the habit of prowling 
about in pairs, and the female produces but a single young one 
at a birth. A nest, which is about 2 feet across, is made of twigs 
in lofty branches. This is occupied during the day, and entered 
by a hole in the side. With regard to the superstitious venera- 
tion in which the animal is held, it is said that if a person sleeps 
in the forest the Aye-aye will bring him a pill6w. “If a pillow 
for the head, the person will become rich ; if for the feet, he will 
shortly succumb to the creature’s fatal power, or at least will 
become bewitched.” But a counter-charm may be obtained. It 
is said that the reverence for this beast leads the natives to bury 
varefully a specimen found dead. 
Fam. 3. Tarsiidae.—This family also consists of but a single 
genus, Tarsius, to which it is the general opinion that but a 
single species belongs; there are, however, at least four different 
specific names on record. The general aspect of the animal is 
not unlike that of a Galago, with which it also agrees in the 
elongation of the ankle; but the elongation is more pronounced 
in the present genus. The ears are large, and the eyes are 
extraordinarily developed. The fingers and toes terminate in 
large expanded discs, and are furnished with flattened nails 
except on the second and third toes, which have claws. The tail 
is longer than the body and is tufted at the end. The skull is 
more like that of the Anthropoidea than is the skull of any 
other Lemur. The resemblance is by reason of the almost com- 
plete separation of the orbit and the temporal fossa by bone ; 
1 Proc. Zool. Soc. 1882, p. 639; see also Rey. G. A. Shaw, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1883, 
p. 44, 2nd Art. 
