542 



MAMMALIA. 



period to the people of Madagascar, and the name of Aye- Aye 

 given to it by Sonnerat, was due to the exclamation of the natives 

 of that island when this traveller showed it to them for the first 



time. 



For a long time it was undecided what place to assign the 

 Cheiromys among the Mammalia. This indecision arose from 

 ambiguous organic characteristics in this quadruped, some of 

 which pertain to Rodents and others to the Maids. At first sight, 

 the Cheiromys, or Aye- Aye (Fig. 235), shows some striking points 



Fig. 235. — Aye-Aye {Cheiromys madagdncaiensis). 



of resemblance to the Squirrels : it has their general form, the 

 long bushy tail, and especially their dentition. It has, in fact, 

 no canine teeth, but possesses, in front of its jaws, a pair of 

 strong incisors, isolated from the molars by a vacant space, 

 similar to the gap occurring in the Squirrels and all animals 

 belonging to the Order of Rodentia. But, on the other 

 hand, the large size and rounded form of its head, indicative 

 of a voluminous brain ; the conformation of its limbs ; the 



