THE LORIS. 



91 



wholly changed; and his Creator, who made him 

 so sensible of cold, to which he must often have 

 been exposed even in his native forests, gave him, 

 probably for that reason, his thick fur, which we 

 rarely see on animals in these tropical climates. 

 To me, who not only constantly fed him, but 

 bathed him twice a 

 week in water ac- 

 commodated to the 

 seasons, and whom he 

 clearly distinguished 

 from 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 ex- 

 tremely sharp teeth; 

 but at all times his 

 temper was quick, 

 and, when he was un- 

 seasonably disturbed, 

 he expressed a little 

 resentment by an ob- 

 scure murmur, like 

 that of a squirrel, or 

 a greater degree of 

 displeasure by a pee- 

 vish 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 inter- 

 mission, rolled up like a hedgehog; and, as soon as 

 he awoke, he began to prepare himself for the 

 labours of liis approaching 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 break- 

 fast, after which he commonly took a short nap, 

 but, when the sun was quite set, he recovered all 



Fig. 35. — The Spectre-tarsier ( 7ara;« j/fci;7/«). page 92, 



his vivacity. 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 satiated with 



grasshoppers, and 

 passed the whole 

 night, while the hot 

 season lasted, in prow- 

 ling for them. When 

 a grasshopper or any 

 insect alighted within 

 his reach, his eyes, 

 which he fixed on his 

 prey, glowed with un- 

 common 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 en- 

 gaged at the bottom 

 of it; and in the even- 

 ing he usually stood 

 erect for many min- 

 utes, 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 opportunities of observing him, he seemed 

 to solicit my attention, and if I presented my finger 

 to him he licked or nibbled 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 lost their lustre 

 and strength, and he composed himself for a slum- 

 ber of ten or eleven hours. . . . 



