"The Great-Grandfather of Man.

Manawatu Herald, 4 May 1899, Page 2

" The Great-Grandfather of Man.

Uncle Sam has annexed in the Philippines the targier, an animal which is now declared to be the ' great-grandfather of man. .'The tarsier ia the ancestor of the common monkey, who is the ancestor of the anthropoid ape, who ia in tarn *the ancestor of man. The tarsier iff a very gifted animal. He derives his f . name from the , enormous dete^op- '; meat of his tarsi, or shin boyes. His eyes are enormous, bo thai tit can he see in the dark. They tVon cause him to be called a ghost, flis fingera and toes are provided With large pads, which enable him to Jiotd on to almost anything. The , larmier > may be best described as hiviog ,a face like an owl, and a body, ihftbs, and tail like those of a monkey, JXiii sitting height is about that of^ a squirrel. As his 6normoai optics would lead one to suppose, h» cuts capers in the night, and sjteps firthe daytime, concealed usually in »h^an* doned clearings, where new gro.f fch has sprung up to a height of 20ft. or more. Very often he sleeps in.* standing posture, grasping Ifee; lower stem of a small tree with his 16ng and slender fingers and toes.: Par. ing his nightly wanderings btnlieia a squeak like that of a monkey. From his habit of feeding only- upon insects, he has a strong bat»like odour.