112 CURIOUS HOMES AND THEIR TENANTS. 



In its own home in West Africa and the coasts 

 of the G-ulf of Guinea the white people who live 

 there call the potto a bush dog, and the natives, who 

 for some reason are very much afraid of it, call it 

 ajioso. They seem to have an idea that it will jump 

 upon them and cling so tightly as to choke them to 

 death, or else, like the Old Man of the Sea in the story 

 of Sindbad the Sailor, will clasp its victim with its 

 hind legs in such a manner that the person attacked 

 can never get rid of his living burden, but must carry 

 it about with him for the rest of his natural life. 



Although called a dog, the potto looks much 

 more like a monkey ; but he really belongs to a 

 solemn, sedate, sober, slow-going set, very different 

 from the merry, mischief -loving monkeys. He seems 

 to be bowed down with grief and trouble and to have 

 a world of care on his shoulders. Never is he seen 

 playing pranks or rushing noisily about, but always 

 secretly and silently stealing from one place to 

 another, or sitting motionless in the strangest pos- 

 tures, fast asleep. 



All these little ci-eature live in nests built in 

 the hollows of forest trees or among the branches. 

 They move alwut noiselessly, and never show them- 

 selves at all during the day, so that they are very 

 seldom seen even by the natives. They belong to 

 a family of animals called lemurs, which means 

 " ghosts," because of their sly, quiet ways, and be- 

 cause they only appear at night. 



