THE AYE-AYE. 



43 



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, the incisor 

 teeth bearing some resemblance to those of the rodents. 



These curious teeth are 

 extremely powerful, and 

 are very deeply set in the 

 jawbones, their sockets ex- 

 tending nearly the entire 

 depth of the bone. 



They are used just like 

 the rodent teeth, the ani- 

 mal biting deeply into the 

 trees, and so laying bare 

 the burrows of various 

 wood-boring grubs. 



The color of the animal 

 is a dull black on the up- 

 per portions of the body, 

 the under parts, as well 

 as the cheeks and throat, 

 being of a light gray. 

 The paw^s are nearly 

 black. The fur of the 

 body is thickly set, and 

 is remarkable for an in- 

 ner 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 courser. The tail, which is jetty black, seems to be always 

 trailed at length, 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 hair. 



The natural food of the Aye-aye, like that of the preceding animals, 

 is of a mixed character, the creature eating fruits and insects indiscrim- 

 inately. But in its wild state it is said to search the trees for insects as 

 well as fruits, and to drag their larvae from their concealment by means 

 of its delicate fingers. 



The fine specimen in the Zoological Gardens, however, does not 

 touch insects, but feeds on a mixture of honey and hard-boiled eggs 

 beaten into a paste and moistened with milk. Still, she uses her teeth 

 freely on the branches that are placed in her cage, and very soon cuts 



A YE- A YE {Cheiromys Madagascar iensis 



