7044 Quadrupeds, 



at ease on my account, and to inform you at the same time of a col- 

 lection which I am sending off by Kampot, Singapore. As you will 

 see, I have passed among the Stiengs sufficient time to make a fine 

 collection, and I have not spared myself any trouble to attain that 

 end. At the same time I am only half satisfied in some respects ; 

 birds are so rare that I have only procured a few ; in the next place, 

 the terrible shaking which they have had has much injured them. 

 As to my insects and my most precious shells, 1 have been obliged 

 to have them carried by men as far as this, and I am sending 

 to Kampot in the same manner ; it is expensive, but at the same 

 time the only way to preserve them from being completely destroyed. 

 I suspect that a packet of letters for me must have been lost, as I 

 have not yet heard of the arrival of any of the collections sent ; you 

 may imagine how painful that is. On my arrival at Bankok I will 

 send you some good maps of this almost unknown country, and more 

 details than I can give you at present of the divers savage tribes by 

 which it is inhabited. I am nearly convinced that much time is lost 

 in working very hard here, as the country is poor and very difficult to 

 explore, but that will not discourage me, and I hope during the 

 course of next year I shall be able to send you some collections 

 which will cause you pleasure when you receive them. — H. M. 



On the Habits of the Aye- Aye of Madagascar. 

 By Humphrey Sandwith, Esq.* 



Some time ago Professor Owen wrote to me, begging me to procure 

 him, if possible, a specimen of this animal, as the British Museum 

 possessed neither its skin nor skeleton. Although the museum of 

 Port Louis is small and insignificant in the number of its specimens, it 

 is in this respect richer than that of Great Britain with its immense 

 collection of curiosities, since it possesses a stuffed aye-aye, which 

 does honour to the stuffer, both on account of its natural attitude and 

 the excellent manner in which it is preserved. 



Now, when we examine this little creature, we naturallj-^ ask, where- 

 abouts in the animal kingdom it ought to be placed. Those who are 

 unacquainted with Natural History pronounce it to be a lemur, and 

 really with great reason, although Cuvier has placed it more correctly 



* Translated from the ' Proceedings of the Zoological Society. 



