LONG-FINGERED LEMUR. 
It appears that this very singular and curious 
animal was first figured and described by 
Monsieur Sonnerat, in his celebrated Voyage 
to the Indies; and most subsequent general, 
descriptions of quadrupeds have adopted it,^ 
though under different appellationSo. From it's, 
peculiar conformation, difFerentnaturalistshave 
entertained various opinions of the class to 
which it may with most propriety be referred. 
Some have described it as of the Squirrel tribe ; 
some, as a Monkey ; some, as a species of the 
Lemur or Maucauco ; and some have thought 
that it nearly approaches to the Sloth,. Sonnerat, 
who calls it theAye Aye, from it's cry^ is of opi~ 
nion that it may be considered as allied to each 
of the three former genera. But, as syste-. 
matic naturalists must be more decisive, and 
either fix each objedl in a particular known, 
genus, or form a new one for it, this anii:pal, 
like many others, has obtained different situ-, 
ations, in different systematic works^ just as; 
the respe6live writers have judged the balance 
of similitudes chiefly to iricline« 
la 
