110 LONG-FINGERED LEMUft. 



dish cast: the black prevails on the feet, which 

 are covered with short hairs of that colour : the 

 head is shaped like that of a Squirrel ; and there 

 are two cutting teeth in front of each jaw : the ears 

 are large, round, and naked, resembling those of 

 a bat, and of a black colour. The feet are long, 

 and somewhat resemble those of the Tarsier : the 

 thumbs or interior toes of the hind feet are short, 

 and furnished with flat, round nails, as in the Ma- 

 caucos; but the principal character of the animal 

 consists in the extraordinary structure of the fore 

 feet, which have the two middle toes of an un- 

 common length, most extremely thin, and per- 

 fectly naked, except at their base : all the claws 

 on the fore feet are sharp and crooked. It is a 

 timid animal ; and can scarce see distinctly by day, 

 and its eyes, which are of an ochre colour, resemble 

 those of an owl. It is extremely slow, and of a 

 mild disposition: those which were kept by Mr. 

 Sonnerat slept almost continually, and were scarce 

 to be awakened but by shaking two or three times : 

 they lived about two months, during which time 

 they had no other nourishment but boiled rice, 

 which they took up with their long fore toes, in 

 the manner that the Chinese use their eating- 

 sticks. During the whole time that these animals 

 were kept by Mr. Sonnerat, he never observed 

 them to set up the tail in the manner of a 

 Squirrel, but always to carry it trailing at length. 

 The figure in the supplemental volume of Buffon 

 is wrong in this respect; as well as in not ex- 



