no THE AYE-AYE. 



It is a tree-inhabiting animal, and skips among the branches with little quick leaps 

 that have been likened to the hoppings of a frog. In order to give the little creature 

 a firmer hold of the boughs about which it is constantly leaping, the palms of the hands 

 are furnished with several cushions. The back of the hands are covered with soft 

 downy fur, resembling the hair with which the tail is furnished. Excepting on the hands 

 and tail, the fur is very thick and of a woolly character, but at the root of the tail, and 

 at the wrists and ankles, it suddenly changes to the short downy covering. 



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. 



As will be seen by a reference to the figure, in its head and general shape it resem- 

 bles the Galagos, but in the number and arrangement of its teeth it approaches the 

 rodent type. There are no canine teeth, and the incisors are arranged in a manner 

 similar to those of the rodents, the chief difference being, that instead of the chisel- 

 like edge which distinguishes the incisor teeth of the gnawing animals, those of the 

 Aye-aye are sharply pointed. These curious teeth are extremely powerful, and are 

 very deeply set in the jawbones, their sockets extending nearly the entire depth of the 

 bone. 



The color of the animal is a rusty brown on the upper portions of the body, the 

 under parts, as well as the cheeks and throat, being of a light gray. The paws are 

 nearly black. The fur of the body is thickly set, and is remarkable for an inner 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 

 coarser. The tail 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 des- 

 titute of hair. 



It is probable that the natural food of the Aye-aye, like that of the preceding 

 animals, is of a mixed character, and that it eats fruit and insects indiscriminately. In 

 captivity it usually fed on boiled rice, which it picked up in minute portions, like 

 Amine in the " Arabian Nights," using, however, its slender fingers in lieu of the cele- 

 brated bodkin with which she made her mock meal. 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 conceal- 

 ment by means of its delicate fingers. Buds and various fruits are also said to be eaten 

 by this animal possibly the buds may contain a hidden grub, and the entire flower be 

 eaten for the sake of the living creature which it contains, as is the case with many a 

 bud that is plucked by small birds in this country. 



It is a nocturnal animal like the Galagos and Lemurs, and seeks its prey by night 

 only, spending the day in sleep, curled up in the dark hollow of a tree, or in some 

 similar spot, where it can retire from view an$ from light. 



As is shown by the scientific name of the Aye-aye, it is a native of Madagascar, and 

 even in that island is extremely scarce, appearing to be limited to the western portions 

 of the country, and to escape even the quick eyes of the natives. Sonnerat, the naturalist, 

 was the first to discover it, and when he showed his prize to the natives, they exhibited 

 great astonishment at the sight of an unknown animal, and the exclamations of surprise 

 are said to have given the name of Aye-aye to the creature. The name " Cheiromys," 

 signifies " Handed Mouse," and is given to the animal because it bears some resem- 

 blance to a large mouse or rat which is furnished with hand-like paws instead of feet. 



With the exception of the Aye-aye, all the Quadrumanous animals bear their mammae 

 upon the breast, and clasp their young to their bosoms with their arms. But in the 

 Aye-aye, the milk-giving organs are placed on the lower portion of the abdomen, and 

 thus a great distinction is at once made between this creature and the true quadrumana. 

 Indeed, there are so many points of discrepancy in this strange being, that it is quite 

 impossible to make it agree with the systematic laws which have hitherto been laid 

 down, and naturalists place it in one order or another, according to the stress which 

 they lay on different points of its organization. 



The eyes are of a brownish-yellow color, and very sensitive to light, as may be 



