The Red Cloud chief., 1900-05-18
Has Perfectly Formed Fingers and is of
Monkey Family.

Madagascar contains many strange
things. and OF them the "half-monkoy,"
with its s~keleton-like fingers, Is a
worthy example.
Nowhere else in the world is there
another animal like II. It tclongs to
Madagascar exclusively, and even In
It's home II Is almost unknown, or was
until the beginning Of this century.
This is due to its manner Of life. II
not only is remarkably shy. but II also
is entirely nocturnal In its habits. As
Madagascar forests are travelled rarely
ven in daytime and never al night.
by human beings. IL is not surprising
that this strange lemur has remained
almost a mystery.
The fire. specimen was found in 1852,
when a German naturalist named Son.
nenrath shot one. When his native
guides saw the animal they were no
less surprised than he. and they yelled
"Aye' Aye!" So it happened that the
first name which was given 10 the 1T
tie beast was ayeaye. II was ifty years
after that before another specimen was
taken. Naturalists had about decided
that It was extinct. for all cffors TO
get one had Seen fruitloss. when De
Castelle caught one in 1911. II died on
the way 10 the coast. and only the skin
and the skeleton reached Europe. Bat
In 1862 a living specimen arrived in
London. and since then several skele-
TOW. and glfag h,,.n l,n, h,,.,.I, a..
Europe. These have been so few IN
number. however, that not many
museums in the world can boast a
specimen.
Recently Or. Friedrich Kuauer had
the great opportunity Of n nlturallst's
life. He obtained a perfec.. healthy
young specimen. which he managed TO
keep alive and we'll for a long time.
and thus he has been enabled TO give
the world the first authentic aud real
story OF the habits and ever the APP
pearance OF this wonderful animal.
The picture which is printed here is
the first drawing made from life OF
this strange beast. II was drawn for
the German paper Gartenlaube. and nc
one could possibly suppose that the
various pictures made from descrip.
ton, which ornament many well.
known works on natural history, coult
be intended TO represent the same ami
NAL.
Chiromys madagascarensis, which 4
the name that science has bestowed OF
this lnmnr 10 en- fhnrntOhlu pngtnrpn
in its habits that IL refuses to shoy
itself in the day, even in captivity
When II Is not able to hide. It roll
itself into a ball, covers itself with 1t
thick tail and splits savagely at an
one who disturbs 1t. Whoever wishe
to see II active must watch 1t at night
Then the observer Is treated to a dis
play of rare and interesting a~ctivit,
Lively as a squirrel, the "fnger-ani
NAL fits about in It's cage like
ghost. IL Is here. there and every
where, and never Is quiet for a INC
ment. II hunts like a bat. which
resembles at night with its swift mt
lions mt silent ways. Like the ba
too, It hunts insects. particularly tn
gorgeous Madagascar butterflies. whic
II loves, for food. But 1t does not dis
dain anything else that is edible, fo
Its bill of fare comprises dates. apples
figs. boiled rice, biscuit. eggs and mill
After meals 1t cleans itself like
squirrel.
When 1t drinks, a curious function {
its weird fingers becomes apparent.
dips its long. thin. withered tools int
the liquid and ticks them off. This
the only way of drinking, Other use
to which it puts these queer limbs
claws are to dig things out from crack
and crevices in tree trunks. and {