222 MR. A. D. BARTLETT ON THE LIVING AYE-AYE. [Nov. 11, 



Mr. F. Buckland exhibited several specimens of the Smooth Snake 

 (Coronella avMriaca), and gave particulars of the various instances 

 of its occurrence in several parts of England. 



The Secretary called the attention of the Meeting to the living 

 Aye-aye {Chiromys madagascariensis) which had been added to the 

 Society's Menagerie in the preceding August. This valuable animal 

 had been liberally presented to the Society by Edward Mellish, Esq., 

 of the Mauritius (one of the members of the mission sent to Mada- 

 gascar on the accession of Radama II. in 1861), and had reached 

 England in safety by the overland mail on the 12th August. 



The following papers were read : — 



1. Observations on the living Aye-aye in the Zoological 

 Gardens. By A. D. Bartlett. 



The subject of the following remarks is a fine adult female of the 

 Aye-aye {^Chiromys madagascariensis), which arrived in this country 

 on the 12th of August last. On the voyage, this animal produced 

 a young one, which lived about ten days. On arriving here she was 

 in poor condition and very feeble ; she soon, however, began to feed 

 freely, and has now considerable strength, as is shown by the timber 

 destroyed in the cage in which she is kept. 



This animal is much blacker, and appears larger, than the male of 

 this species now in the British Museum ; the long hairs on the back of 

 the neck, extending to the lower part of the body, have white points ; 

 these white points are thickest above, and become less numerous 

 towards the limbs and tail, which appear quite black ; the hairs of 

 the tail, however, are white or grey at the roots (this can only be 

 observed by separating them) ; the chin and throat are dirty white, 

 which colour extends over the chest ; the short hairs on the face are 

 a mixture of dirty grey and white ; the long hairs are black ; the 

 eyes light brown, surrounded by dark-coloured hairs ; the nose and 

 muzzle are of a dirty flesh-colour ; the lips pink ; the ears, shining 

 black, and naked, but thickly studded with small protuberances ; the 

 feet and toes are sooty black, with the under surface and claws 

 lighter, inclining to flesh-colour. The situation of the mammae is 

 remarkable : they are two in number, and placed at the lowest part 

 of the abdomen (the animal differing in this respect entirely from the 

 Lemurs and Bats, the teats of which are on the breast). 



The Aye-aye sleeps during the day ; and the body is then gene- 

 rally curved round and lying on its side, the tail is spread out and 

 flattened over it, so that the head and body of the animal are almost 

 entirely covered by the tail. 



It is only at night that the Aye-aye exhibits any activity. I hear 

 her crawling about and gnawing the timber when, to me, all is per- 

 fectly dark ; and I have been surprised to find that upon the intro- 

 duction of a light, directed to the face of the animal, she does not 

 exhibit any signs of uneasiness, but stretches out her arm and tries 

 to touch the lamp with her long fingers. She frequently hangs by 



