. An introduction to the study of mammals living and extinct. Mammals. 69s All the digits of both feet. developed and distinct from the tibia. with pointed rather compressed claws, except the hallux, which has a flattened nail. Middle digit of the hand excessively attenuated. Vertebrae: C 7, D 12, L 6, S 3, C 27. Chiromys}—This family, like the last, is formed for the recep- tion of a single genus, Chiromys,'^ containing one species, C. mada- gascariensis, the Aye-aye, an animal about the size of a cat, with a broad rounded head, short face, and large and naked ears. It has very lar
. An introduction to the study of mammals living and extinct. Mammals. 69s All the digits of both feet. developed and distinct from the tibia. with pointed rather compressed claws, except the hallux, which has a flattened nail. Middle digit of the hand excessively attenuated. Vertebrae: C 7, D 12, L 6, S 3, C 27. Chiromys}—This family, like the last, is formed for the recep- tion of a single genus, Chiromys,'^ containing one species, C. mada- gascariensis, the Aye-aye, an animal about the size of a cat, with a broad rounded head, short face, and large and naked ears. It has very large hands and long thin fingers with pointed claws, one of which (the middle or third) is remark- able for its extreme slenderness. The foot resembles that of the other lemurs in its large opposable hallux, with a flat nail, but all the other toes have pointed compressed claws, like that of the second toe in the Lemurince and the second and third in the Tarsiidw. Tail long and bushy. General colour dark brown, the outer fur being long and rather loose, mth a woolly undercoat. Mammse two, inguinal in position. It is a native of Madagascar, where it was discovered by Sonnerat in 1780. The specimen brought to Paris by that traveller was the only one known until 1860. Since then many others have been obtained, and they may frequently be seen living in the gardens of the Zoological Society of London. Like so many of the Lemurs, the Aye-aye is completely nocturnal in its habits, living either alone or in pairs, chiefly in the bamboo forests. Observations upon captive specimens have led to the conclusion that it feeds pi-inci- pally on succulent juices, especially of the sugar-cane, which it obtains by tearing open the hard woody circumference of the stalk mth its strong incisor teeth. It is said also to devour certain species of wood-boring caterpillars, which it obtains by first cutting down with its teeth upon their burrows, and then picking them out of their retreat with the claw
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