SLOW LEMUR, 
57 
six or eight yards in a minute. His voice was a 
kind of whistling* by no means unpleasant. When 
his prey was attempted to be taken from him, his 
countenance changed to an appearance expressive 
of chagrin, and he inwardly uttered a tremulous, 
acute, and painful note. He was melancholy, 
silent, and patient. He generally slept during 
the day with his head resting upon his hands, and 
his elbows between his thighs. But in the midst 
of this sleep, although his eyes were closed, he 
was exceedingly sensible to all impressions from 
without, and never neglected to seize whatever 
prey came inconsiderately within his reach. Though 
the glare of sun-shine was very unpleasant to him, 
it was never observed that the pupils of his eyes 
suffered any contraction. 
Buringthe first month he was kept with a cord 
tied round his waist, w hich, without attempting to 
untie, he sometimes lifted up with an air of grief. 
M. D'Obsonville took charge of him himself, and 
at the beginning he was bitten four or five times for 
offering to disturb or take him up ; but gentle 
chastisement soon corrected these little passions, 
and he afterwards gave him the liberty of his bed- 
chamber. Towards night the little animal would 
rub his eyes, then looking attentively round, would 
climb upon the furniture, or more frequently upon 
ropes placed for that purpose. 
Sometimes M. D’Obsonville would tie a bird in 
the part of the chamber opposite to him, or hold it 
in his hand in order to invite him to approach : he 
would presently come near with a long careful step, 
like a person walking on tip-toe to surprise another. . 
When within a foot of his prey, he would step 
and raising himself upright, advance' gently, 
stretching out his paw, then, at once seizing, 
would strangle it with remarkable celerity. 
He perished by an accident. He appeared much 
VOL. I. I 
