The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-05-17

Has Perfectly Formed Fingers and is of
Monkey Family.

Madagascar contains many strange |
things, and of them the "half-monkey,"
with it's skeleton-like fingers, is a
worthy example.
Nowhere else in the world is there
another animal like it. 1t belongs to
Madagascar exclusively, and even in |
its home it is almost unknown, or was
until the beginning of this century.
This is due to it's manner of life. 1t
not only is remarkably shy, but it also
is entirely nocturnal in it's habits. AS
Madagascar forests are travelled rarely |
even in daytime and never at night.
by human beings, it is not surprising
that this strange lemur has remained
almost mystery.
The first specimen was found in 1882,
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 to the lit
tie beast was ayeaye. 1t was fifty years
after that before another specimen was
taken. Naturalists had about decided
that it was extinct. for all cffors to
get one had been fruitless, when De
Castelle caught one in 1874. 1t died ON
the way to the coast, and only the skin
and the skeleton reached Europe. But
in 1862 living specimen arrived in
London, and since then several skele-
tons and skins have been brought to
Europe. These have been so few in
number, however, that not many
museums in the world can boast a
specimen.
Recently DR.. Friedrich kEauer had
the great opportunity of a naturalist's
| life. He obtained a perfec., healthy
| young specimen, which he managed TO
keep alive and we'll for long time,
and thus he has been enabled to give
| the world the first authentic and real
story of the habits and even the APP
| pearance of this wonderful animal
The picture which is printed here is
the first drawing made from life of
this strange beast. 1t was drawn for
the German paper Gartenlaube, and no
one could possibly suppose that the
various pictures made from descrip-
ton, which ornament many we'll
known works on natural history, could
be intended to represent the same ami
| NAL.
Chiromys madagascarensis, which is
the name that science has bestowed on
this lemur. is so thoroughly nocturnal
in it's habits that it refuses to show
itself in the day, even in captivity
When it is not able to hide. it rolls
itself into a ball, covers itself with it's
thick tail and splits savagely at any
one who disturbs it. Whoever wishes
to see it active must watch it at night.
Then the observer is treated to dis
play of rare and interesting activity.
Lively as squirrel, the 'finger-ani-
| nal" fits ..bev,t l., SIC vaac Iu-, :.
ghost. 1t is here. there and -ry-
where, and pever is quiet for q mo
ment. 1t hunts like bat, which it
resembles at night with it's swift mo-
lions and silent ways. Like the bat,
too, it hunts insects, particularly the
gorgeous Madagascar butterflies, which
it loves, for food. But it does not dis
dain anything else that is edible, for
its bill of fare comprises dates, apples
figs, boiled rice, biscuit, eggs and milk
After meals it cleans itself like a
squirrel.
When it drinks, curious function OF
its weird fingers becomes apparent 1t
dips its long, thin. withered tools into
the liquid and ticks them Off This is
the only way of drinking. Other uses
} to which it puts these queer limbs or
claws are to dig things out from cracks
and crevices in tree trunks. and to
catch limbs and twigs in it's mad leaps
from tree to tree.
There is abundant reason for the
lack Of knowledge concerning this and
other specimens of Madagascar fauna.
Apart from the savage natives, who
alone make travel unsafe, is the fact
that the thick forests, the jungle and
underground are practically unbroken,
and present almost insuperable diff
culties to the explorer. In this wilder
ness, filled with bamboo that forms
forests, there as it does nowhere else
on earth. are the most beautiful flow
ers, some of the orchids having petals
almost two feet long. In this world of