CHAP. V, THE AYE-AYE. 145 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 stulfed 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.
