A STRANGE ANIMAL. IQY 



rears its young in the hollow roots of the great bam- 

 boos that grow in these countries. 



None have ever been brought alive to Europe or 

 America. Don Guillemard, who had a living speci- 

 men when he was at Celebes, in the Malay Archipelago, 

 writes : 



" The most interesting addition to our menagerie 

 was a tiny Tarsius speotruTn, brought to us by a na- 

 tive, by whom it was said to have been caught on 

 the mainland. These little creatures, which live in 

 trees and go about at night, are nearly the size of a 

 small rat, and are covered with remarkably thick fur, 

 which is very soft. The tail is very long and covered 

 with hair at the root and tip, while the middle por- 

 tion of it is nearly bare. The eyes are enormous, and 

 indeed seem, with the equally large ears, to constitute 

 the greater part of the face, for the jaw and nose are 

 very small indeed, and the latter is set on, like that 

 of a pug dog, almost at a right angle to the forehead. 

 The hind limbs at once attract attention from the great 

 length of the ankle bones, and the hands are equally 

 extraordinary from their length, the curious claws 

 with which they are provided, and the remarkable 

 pads, like those on the toes of a treetoad, at the ends 

 of its fingers, which probably enable the animal to 

 retain its hold iu any position. 



" This weird-looking creature we were unable to 

 keep long in captivity, for we could not get it to eat 

 the cockroaches which were almost the only food we 

 could obtain for it. It remained quiet by day in its 

 darkened cage, but at night, especially if disturbed, it 



