A YE- A YE. 



241 



their being referred to one and the same group ; while further minute investiga- 

 tions will reveal the fact that their deep-seated internal structure which alone 

 reveals their true affinities is very different. Such was the case with the aye- 

 aye, which was at first referred to the Kodents; its affinities to the lemurs not 

 having been discovered till a fuller examination. 



The aye-aye agrees with the true lemurs in having the great toe of the foot 

 furnished with a flattened nail, and capable of being opposed to the other toes; 

 this feature being alone sufficient to prove that the creature has nothing to do with 

 the Rodents. With the exception of this great toe, however, all the toes and 

 fingers, which are very long and narrow, are furnished with narrow and sharply- 

 pointed claws. Although both the hands and the feet are large in proportion to 



THE AYE-AYE (J nat. size). 



the size of the animal, yet the great peculiarity is concentrated in the hands, in 

 which the fingers are much longer than are the toes of the feet. One finger 

 namely, that corresponding to our middle finger is more remarkable than the 

 others, being of great length and extreme slenderness. It is probable that this 

 ghostly middle finger is employed in extracting from their burrows the larvae 

 which, as we shall shortly learn, appear to form a portion of the creature's natural 

 diet. 



In size the aye-aye may be compared to a cat ; its total length being about 

 3 feet, of which the larger moiety is formed by the bushy tail. The comparison 

 with a cat may be further extended to the short and rounded head and cat-like 

 face of the animal. The rounded ears are, however, relatively larger than those of 

 .a cat, and have the peculiarity of being nearly naked. The fur is long, and com- 



VOL. i. 1 6 



