'2(5 NATURALIST'S CABINET. 



Manners of a tame lemur. 



lapped eagerly, but was contented with plain 

 water. In general he was not voracious, but 

 never appeared satisfied with grasshoppers; and 

 passed the whole night, while the hot season 

 lasted, in prowling for them. When a grasshop- 

 per, or any insect, alighted within his reach, his 

 eyes, which he fixed on his prey, glowed with 

 uncommon fire; and, having drawn himself back 

 to spring on it with greater force, he seized the 

 prey with both his fore-paws, but held it in one 

 of them while he devoured it. For other pur- 

 poses, and sometimes even for that of holding 

 his food, he used all his paws indifferently as 

 hands, and frequently grasped with one of them 

 the higher part of his cage, while his three others 

 Averc severally engaged at the bottom of it; but 

 the posture of which he seemed fondest was to 

 cling with all four of them to the upper wires, 

 his body being inverted. In the evening he 

 usually stood erect for many minutes, playing on 

 the wires with his fingers, and rapidly moving 

 his body from side to side, as if he had found the 

 utility of exercise in his state of confinement. 



" A little before day-break, when my early 

 hours gave me frequent opportunities of observ- 

 ing him, he seemed to solicit my attention ; and 

 if I presented my finger to him he licked or nib- 

 bled it with great gentleness, but eagerly took 

 fruit when I offered it; though he seldom ate 

 much at his morning repast. When the day 

 brought back his night, his eyes seemed to lose 



