SLOW LEMUR. 89 



hoppers; and passed the whole night, while the 

 hot season lasted, in prowling for them : when a 

 grasshopper, or any insect, alighted within his 

 reach, his eyes, which he fixed on his prey, glowed 

 with uncommon fire; and having drawn himself 

 back to spring on it with greater force, he seized 

 the prey with both his fore-paws, but held it in 

 one of them, while he devoured it. For other pur- 

 poses, and sometimes even for that of holding his 

 food, he used all his paws indifferently as hands, 

 and frequently grasped with one of them the 

 higher part of his ample cage, while his three 

 others were severally engaged at the bottom of it; 

 but the posture of which he seemed fondest was 

 to cling with all four of them to the upper wires, 

 his body being inverted ; and in the evening he 

 usually stood erect for many minutes, playing on 

 the wires with his fingers, and rapidly moving his 

 body from side to side, as if he had found the 

 utility of exercise in his unnatural state of con- 

 finement. A little before day-break, when my 

 early hours gave me frequent opportunities of ob- 

 serving him, he seemed to solicit my attention; 

 and if I presented my finger to him, he licked or 

 nibbled it with great gentleness, but eagerly took 

 fruit, when I offered it; though he seldom ate 

 much at his morning repast : when the day 

 brought back his nighty his eyes lost their lustre 

 and strength, and he composed himself for a 

 slumber often or eleven hours. 



*"*" III. The names of Lor is and Lemur will, no 

 doubt, be continued by the respective disciples 



