The Washington times., 1901-09-29
SOME STRANGE ANIMALS.
Large Number of Creatures With
out Either Race or Family.
The kinIajOu, Aye-Aye, COluGO, and
Tnrsier Are Weird Bensts-Somc
Structural Puzzles in Zoology
Specimens Which Defy Nature.

| In the not very long list of the living
| races of animals are a not inconsider-
able number of instances of creatures
not conforming to any other race OF
| family. They are not links and often
| not like anything else in creation. Ac-
| cidental evidence of this detachment
| and nonconformity is Forthcoming
whenever old and new natural histories
are compared. The general arrange
! ment of the orders and families CORE
| spends, but these nondescript detached
creatures are constantly shifted or
\ moved on" to some other position
deemed more in keeping with recent
discoveries as to their anatomy. or more
| rarely their habits. Some of these ami
| mails are SO beautiful and interesting in
| themselves that were 1t not for the
| form of obligati ton which the doctrine
| of evolution has laid upon students OF
| nature TO find a particular place In the
| schedule of life and a pigeonhole in
| the bureau of creation for each individ-
ua1 creature, we might well be content
| to regard them as equisite and highly
specialized beings whose very existence
is evidence of the perfection TO which
nature can bring single and isolated
creation with, as it were, no practice
beforehand, no studies" prior to max
ing the single masterpiece, and no
gradual approaches to the final and
conclusive product. The nondescript
creatures are, owing to the operation of
causes not yet perfectly understood,
always scarce in numbers, and difficult
to see or catch; when they are caught,
they are seldom brought to England,
and when they arrive, have such un-
couth native names that they attract
little attention.
The kinkajou is among the most at
tractive of any of the detached crea-
tions but to most minds it only repre-
sents a name in natural history books.
Two of these animals are in the collec-
ton of the Geological Society at the
present moment, and were it not for
their polite but dreamy disinclination
to do more than oblige visitors by let
ting themselves be handled during the
day, much might be learned of their
habits. 1t is only at night that they
display the full charms of their disposi-
tion and accomplishments; but even
seen by daylight they are obviously al
most the most desirable of possible pets
which the world contains. To describe
a creature SO unlike any other is neces
these kinkajous is SO serenely confident
that man is friend, if not a brother
kinkajou, that 1t affords every facility
for making a careful inspection of its
beauties. 1t Is covered from its head to
the tip of its very long tail with close
fur as soft as moss, with texture like
plush, and tints varying from olive
brown on the back to .'old gold under
its arms, storiach, and the lower or
shoulders are soft and rounded, rather
short. and exquisitely furred. Its hands
are beautifully made, plump and soft,
like a babys, with bare fingers and
palms. BY preference ii passes the tip
of its tail around it's visitors hand, aud
then slides down its own tail, lowering
itself by its hind hands or feet Then ii
hangs at full length, still holding onto
its tail by its hind hands, which just
a half from the base of the tail, and
spreading its arms and little fore hands
on either side as If II were going to
make speech. swings gently to and
fro. Occasionally it puts out very
long ribbon-liEe tongue and licks its
fingers. or friends fingers, or smooths
the fur on its ear or eyebrow. 1t should
be said that its head Is short, its muzzle
somewhat pointed, its ears round and
upright. and its eyes brown and
dreamy, with the pupils contracted to
a mere point, for though not so drugged
in sleep as the lemurs, ii is a night
feeding creature. Its length is perhaps
two and a half feet, ard its home is in
the tropical forests of Central and
South America. Why it should hold on
to its tail as if the latter were n rope,
the end of which was not connected
with its body, is not obvious, nor is II
certain how it obtains its living. Its
little fingers are webbed almost up to
the nails, yet 1t lives in trees, and is
said TO thrust its long tongue into all
kinds of crevices and draw thence the
insects and beetles hiding there. The
Spaniards in Mexico called it the
honey bear" because it robs the wild
bees nests and licks up the honey from
the comb. One kept for seven years at
the Zoo" would hold piece of bread
and butter in one hand, and break off
and eat bits with the other, as it hung
in its favorite attitude, suspended by
its tail, and drew in food through the
wires of its cage with its tongue. At
night it was full of play, activity, and
affection.
Three other "odd volumes" of the an
imal world are generally found placed
more or less in juxtaposition in the list
of various between the lemurs and
whatever family is selected to follow
them These are the aye-aye, the colu-
go. and the tarsier. strange names and
stranger beasts. The first is a thickIy
furred, slowmoving, long tailed, tree
living beast, found in the most mac
cessible parts of Madagascar. Like
most other rare animals from that
home of abnormal life, 1t was first de-
scribed by French naturalists, who
from the proximity of their colony at
Reunion always seem to have endeav-
ored to learn something Of the strange
fauna of the great island near them. 1t
is quite unlike any other animal, has no
'afiinities," and the most extraordi-
nary. weird, and skeleton hands. In
addition to their being twice too large
for it body. they are almost fieshless,
with very long. thin fingers. These are
armed with clawiike nails. One finger.