', 



LEMURS 45 



marking on a brown ground ; and near the extremity of its 

 tail were two abortive claws. Muscular motion did not cease 

 until long after it was dead." 



Although we did not see any lemurs in the coast woods, one 

 species at least is, or, at least, was, sometimes met with 

 viz. the white-fronted lemur (Lemur mongos, var. albifrons). 

 Several specimens of this kind have been brought to England 

 from time to time, and have been kept in the Regent's Park 

 Zoological Gardens from as long ago as 1830 ; so that their 

 appearance and habits are as well known to English people as 

 to the Malagasy themselves. Their habits are simple enough. 

 They often exhibit great vivacity, and are much given to 

 leaping from one object to another, in which they are aided by 

 the pad-like structure of the soles of their four hands. They 

 are very good-natured and tame and full of fun while still young, 

 but become cross and vicious when old. We shall, however, see 

 and hear more of the lemurs when we come into the denser 

 forests. 



A little before dusk we arrived at Andovoranto, a large 

 village situated at the mouth of the river Iharoka, and formerly 

 the capital of the Betsimisaraka tribe, before they were reduced 

 to subjection by the Hova. This place would be the natural 

 port of the capital, but for the bar of sand at the entrance of 

 the river. Were it not for this obstruction, ships and steamers 

 could come up into the interior for many miles. The house in 

 which we stayed here was quite a large one, divided into three 

 rooms, the walls covered with rofia matting, and actually 

 possessing windows (but, of course, without glass) and doors. 

 All the places where we had stayed previously had no windows, 

 and a mat hung over the entrance supplied the place of 

 a door. 



While our dinner was being prepared we walked down to the 

 sea and along the river banks, hoping to find some natural 

 history specimens. During our walk Mr Plant related to me 

 his success in obtaining a specimen of that remarkable creature, 

 the aye-aye, an animal peculiar to Madagascar, and of which, 

 at that time, only one or two specimens had reached Europe. 

 The example he secured was sent to England in spirits, and 

 from it, I believe, Sir Richard Owen prepared his monograph, 

 .giving full details and drawings, life size, showing its remarkable 



