CHAP. V. 
THE AYE-AYE. 
145 
Two French gentlemen who had resided many years on the 
island, and with whom I frequently conversed about the 
animal, had both had it more than once in their possession. 
M. De Lastelle said its habits were nocturnal, and that it was 
exceedingly active during the night; that he lost one during 
the night; suspecting that, from superstitions motives, the 
natives had set it free, he confined one afterwards in a barrel 
in his house, but that it ate through the barrel and escaped. 
M. Provint had kept one for some time in his house. He de¬ 
scribed its eyes as large and round, its ears as thin and broad, 
its colour brown, merging into grey, and its thick, bushy tail 
shorter than that of the large black and white lemur. It 
subsisted chiefly on boiled rice and fruits, and during the day 
laid asleep rolled up in a basket in the house, apparently 
undisturbed by persons passing near; but at night it was ne¬ 
cessary to secure it, and ultimately it escaped by eating during 
the night through a bar of hard wood of more than two 
inches square, a feat which the position and form of its strong 
sharp incisors, or cutting-teeth, would render it well able to 
accomplish, as few animals are supposed to possess greater 
cutting power. I was encouraged to hope, during my visits 
to the island, that I might add an Aye-Aye to my collection 
before finally leaving, but my friend had not been able to 
secure one when I left. There is a stuffed specimen in the 
Museum of Natural History at Mauritius; but it did not 
accord exactly with the accounts I had received in the island, 
and as Mr. P. A. Whiche, who had presented it to the mu¬ 
seum, was not certain whether the captain of one of his ships 
had brought it from Madagascar or the coast of Africa, I felt 
doubtful whether it was the Madagascar animal or not, — or, 
if so, much inclined to expect that more than one species will 
be found. 
L 
