32 THE LIVING ANIMALS OF THE WORLD 
f THe AYE-AYE 
Last, and most remarkable of 
all these weird lemuroids, is the 
Aye-aveE. It is placed in a group 
by itself, and has teeth like 
those of the Rodents, a large 
bushy tail, and most extra- 
ordinarily long, slender fingers, 
which it probably uses for pick- 
; ing caterpillars and grubs out of 
' rotten wood. It is nearly as large 
“=| as an Arctic fox, but its habits 
“are those of a lemur. In Mada- 
gascar it haunts the bamboo 
4 
forests, feeding on the juice of 
sugar-cane, grubs, and _ insects. 
The fingers of its hands are of 
nt eT, | different sizes and lengths, though 
Photo by A. 8. Rudland & Sons all are abnormally long and slender. 
TARSIER The second finger seems to have 
These little animals hop about in the ee frogs. They are nocturnal, and seldom ee wasted,” bit is. sald4o be oF the 
utmost value to its owner in ex- 
tracting grubs and insects from the burrows in which they dwell, or the crannies in which they 
may have taken refuge. Very seldom is this animal seen alive in captivity. Although com- 
monly called Aye-aye in this country, it is doubtful if this is really its native name. The aye- 
aye was long a puzzle to naturalists, but is now classed as a lemuroid. 
Tue living races of animals have thus far been reviewed along the completed list of the first 
great order—the Primates. Even in that circumscribed group how great is the tendency to 
depart from the main type, and how wonderful the adaptation to meet the various needs of the 
creatures’ environment! The skeletons, the frames on which 
these various beings are built up, remain the same in character; 
but the differences of proportion in the limbs, of the muscles 
with which they are equipped, and of the weight of the bodies to 
be moved are astonishing. Compare, for instance, the head of the, 
male Gorilla, with its great ridges of bone, to which are attached fe 
the muscles which enable it to devour hard tropical fruits and 
dite off young saplings and bamboos, with the rounded and 
delicate head of the Insect-eating Monkeys of South Africa; or 4 
set side by side the hand of the Chimpanzee with that of the Aye- 
aye, with its delicate, slender fingers, like those of a skeleton 
hand. What could be more diverse than the movements of these 
creatures, whose structure is nevertheless so much alike? Some of 
the lemuroids are as active as squirrels, flying lightly from branch 
to branch ; in others, as the Slow Lorises, the power of rapid move- 
ment has disappeared, and been replaced by a creeping gait which 
Photo by L. Medland, F,Z,S,., N, Finchley 
cannot be accelerated. Already, in a single order, we see the rich RAD OF AYE-AYE 
diversity of nature, and its steady tendency to make all existing — The aye-aye lives mainly in the wild 
things serviceable by adapting other parts of creation to their use %&4”-a"e Braves, and feeds. on insects 
i and grubs, as well as on the juice of the 
or enjoyment. suvar-cane 
