ANIMALS AND INSECTS OF ZANZIBAR 



boys told me it was like a " chui " (leopard) only 

 not a "chui". I had a civet cat brought me by a 

 boy to buy, which, however, I refused ; they also 

 bring lemurs. These dear little things live in the 

 shambas, where there are many of them with their 

 squirrel-like faces and tails, and on their toes are 

 fingernails like a man's, with the exception of one 

 long beast-like nail used for scratching themselves. 

 They are great climbers, but unsatisfactory as pets, 

 as they like to sleep all day and are very lively at 

 night. I had one which was given me by an officer 

 on a warship. He rescued it from the sea, where 

 it was swimming near the ship ; it returned his kind- 

 ness by promptly biting him. It evidently had 

 escaped from one of the crew, and jumped on to 

 an iron pole, thinking it wood, and slipped, as it 

 could not get a foothold, into the water ; the man 

 had not asked permission to keep it, so he did not 

 claim it. 



During the night it was tied up in its new 

 master's cabin while he slept above, but, alas ! it 

 made such a noise and barked so loudly that it 

 disturbed the rest of several other officers. All the 

 same it had had a fine time in the cabin, jumping 

 about as well as its length of string allowed, up- 

 setting everything, including some pretty ivory 

 animals. Its new master found most of his pos- 

 sessions on the floor. After distinguishing itself in 

 other ways, it was thought advisable to hand it over 



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