A YE- A YE — TENRECS 



189 



for a half-starved Persian cat. In its peculiar dentition it differs widely from all 

 other lemurs, its incisors, which recall those of rodents, being reduced to a single 

 permanently growing, chisel-like pair. As regards its teeth, the aye-aye, in fact, 

 occupies among lemurs a position very similar to that held among bats by the 

 blood-sucking vampires. 



Although, as in other lemurs, the thumb is opposable and furnished with a 

 flattened nail, all the other fingers are long, slender, and armed with sharp claws, 

 while the middle finger is remarkable for its extreme slenderness. About the size 

 of an ordinary cat, although incomparably thinner and lighter, the aye-aye has a 



t^^^-"^ --, * "" X^' "* 



GREATER TEXREC. 



short, round head and somewhat cat-like face; but the nearly naked ears are much 

 larger than in the cat. The general colour is black mingled with white. 



OCT O 



In habits aye-ayes are strictly nocturnal, passing the day curled up in a large 

 nest of twigs and leaves amidst the dense foliage of tall trees. Part, at least, of 

 their food is formed by wood-boring beetles. Aye-ayes drink by dipping their 

 fingers into water and drawing them through their mouths. When dressing their 

 fur with the attenuated middle finger, they are in the habit of sitting up on their 

 hind-legs ; and when sleeping, they curl the bushy tail round the body. 



Equally as peculiar as the lemurs are the Insectivora of 

 Madagascar, among which the most important place is held by 

 the family of tenrecs (Centetirlcv), which are restricted to the island. Their spiny 

 covering gives them a superficial resemblance to hedgehogs, from which, however, 



Tenrecs. 



