24 CATALOGUE. 



others, he was at all times grateful, but when I disturbed him in winter 

 he was usually indignant, and seemed to reproach me with the uneasi- 

 ness which he felt, though no possible precautions had been omitted to 

 keep him in a proper degree of warmth. At all times he was pleased 

 with being stroked on the head and throat, and frequently suffered me 

 to touch his extremely sharp teeth ; but at all times his temper was 

 quick, and when he was unseasonably disturbed, he expressed a little 

 resentment by an obscure murmur, like that of a squirrel, or a greater 

 degree of displeasure by a peevish cry, especially in winter, when he 

 was often as fierce, on being much importuned, as any beast of the 

 woods. From half an hour after sunrise to half an hour before sunset, 

 he slept without intermission rolled up like a hedgehog, and as soon as 

 he awoke he began to prepare himself for the labours of his approach- 

 ing day, licking and dressing himself like a cat ; an operation which the 

 flexibility of his neck and limbs enabled him to perform very completely ; 

 he was then ready for a slight breakfast, after which he commonly took 

 a short nap, but when the sun was quite set, he recovered all his viva- 

 city. His ordinary food was the sweet fruit of this country ; plantains 

 always, and mangos during the season, but he refused peaches, and was 

 not fond of mulberries, or even of guaiavas ; milk he lapped eagerly, 

 but was contented with plain water. In general he was not voracious, 

 but never appeared satiated with grasshoppers, and passed the whole 

 night, while the hot season lasted, in prowling for them. When a 

 grasshopper, 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 victim 

 with both his fore-paws, but held it in one of them, while he devoured 

 it. For other purposes, 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 ample cage, while 

 his three others were 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 ; and 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 unnatural state of confinement. A 

 little before daybreak, when my early hours gave me frequent opportu- 

 nities of observing him, he seemed to solicit my attention ; and if I 

 presented my finger- to him, he licked or nibbled it with great gentle- 

 ness, but eagerly took fruit when I offered it, though he seldom ate 

 much at his morning repast. When the day brought back his night, 



