14 



FOUR-HANDED FOLK. 



lie liked to lie outside the blanket in the odd- 

 est attitudes ; sometimes flat on his back, with 

 legs stretched to their utmost, sometimes on his 

 stomach, with head hanging over the edge, in a 

 way to break his neck, one would think. Head 

 dow T n was always a favorite attitude with him, 

 and in the beautiful ball he made of himself it 

 was not only turned down, but completely cov- 

 ered in the most smothering w 7 ay. 



The positions into which the kinkajou put his 

 incredibly lithe body were marvelous ; it often 

 looked as though he had not a bone under his 

 skin. He could bend his back in a perfect bow 

 either way, turn and twist arms and legs into 

 any impossible position, flatten himself to creep 

 under a low bookcase, or narrow himself to pass 

 between two books on a shelf. Any place where 

 he could hold on was perfectly satisfactory. He 

 sat on the sharp edge of a spice-box with all 

 four feet (or hands) side by side, and so com- 

 fortably, that if he washed to eat he removed 

 one hand for the purpose, and balanced him- 

 self easily on three, while he disposed of his 

 lunch. 



On one occasion, passing from a small table 

 to the top of a cold stove a foot away, he had 

 put one hand and one foot on the stove, but be- 

 fore releasing his hold of the table, decided to 

 eat the slice of banana he held in the other 



