The Living Animals of the World 



The Aye-aye. 



Last, and most remarkable 

 of all these weird lemm-ijids, is 

 the Aye-ay'e. It is placed in a 

 group by itself, and has teeth like 

 those of the Ixodents, a large 

 bushy tail, and most extra- 

 ordinarily long, slender fingers, 

 which it proliably uses fur pick- 

 ing caterpillars and grubs out of 

 rotten wood. It is nearly as large 

 as an Arctic fox, Ijut its habits 

 are those of a lemur. In jMada- 

 gasear it haunts the bamboo 

 forests, feeding on the juice of 

 susjar-cane, erubs, and insects. 

 The fingers of its hands are of 

 different sizes and lengths, though 

 all are abnormally long and slender. 

 The second finger seems to ha\e 

 " wasted,"' but is said to be of 

 the utmost value to its owner in 

 extracting grabs and insects from 

 the burrows in which tliey dwell, or tlie crannies in which they may have taken refuge, ^'ery 

 seldom is this animal seen ali\e in captivity. Althougli. commonly 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. 



Fholo hij A. &. KvMaiid i: Son 



Ttese little aDinials hop about in tli€ 



tiees like frogs. Tbcy are nocturnal, and seldom 

 seen. 



The living races of animals liave thus far been reviewed along 

 first great order — the Primates. Even in that circumscribed group 

 to dej)art from the main tyjie, and how wonderful the adaptation 

 of the creatures' environment ! Tlie skelet(jns, the frames on which 

 these various beings are Ijuilt up, remain the same in character; 

 but the differences of projMrtion in the limbs, of the muscles 

 with wliich tliey are eqni])ped, and of tlie weiglit of the bodies to 

 be moved are astonishing. Compare, for instance, the head of the 

 male Gorilla, with its great ridges of lioiie, to which are attached 

 the muscles wliich enal)le it to de\-our liard troj)ical fruits and 

 bite off young saplings and baiulioos, with the rounded and 

 delicate head <if the Insect-eating jMonkeys of South Africa; or 

 set side by side tlie hand of the Cliiinpanzee 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 nexerthejess so much alike? JSoiiie of 

 the lemuroids are as active as squirrels, flying lightly from liranch 

 to branch; in others, as the Slow Lorises, the power of rapid move- 

 ment has disappeared, and lieen replaced liy a creeping gait which 

 cannot be accelerated. Already, in a single order, we see the rich 

 diversity of nature, and its steady tendency to make all existing 

 things serviceable by adapting other parts of creation to their use 

 or enjoyment. 



the completed list of the 

 how great is the tendency 

 to meet the various needs 



riwlo hy L. Mcdland, F.Z S., N. Finchlqi. 



HEAD or AYE-AYE. 



The aye-.aye lives n^ainly in the wild 

 supar-cane groves, and feeds on insects and 

 grubs, a« well as on the juice of the sugar- 

 cane. 



