168 AYALA AYESHA (which partly bounds it N.), Pampas, and Apu- ri'mac; area, about 35,000 sq. m. ;' pop. about 150,000. Consisting partly of elevated plains and partly of deep valleys, it has a varied cli- mate, cold in the one and excessively hot in the other. It is only partly included in the great metalliferous region ; yet gold and silver are found in parts. Agriculture and bee-keep- ing are the principal industries ; and there are many horses, cattle, sheep, llamas, and vicunas. The department derives its name from a battle fought Dec. 9, 1824, near the hamlet of Ayacn- cho, between the Spaniards and South Ameri- cans, in which the former, though 9,310 strong, while their enemies numbered only 5,780, were totally routed, with a loss of 2, 600 killed, wound- ed, and prisoners, the South Americans losing less than a thousand. The Spanish viceroy and commander, Laserna, was captured, and on the following day Gen. Canterac, who suc- ceeded to the command, surrendered the rest of the army in the field, Laserna signing a capit- ulation, which delivered up all the Spanish troops, posts, and munitions of war in Peru. The South Americans were commanded by Gen. Sucre. This battle, which lasted only a few hours, virtually secured the independence of all the Spanish possessions in South Amer- ica. IL A town, the capital of the preced- ing department, formerly called Huamanga or Guamanga, 220 m. S. E. of Lima, in a valley about 9,000 ft. above the level of the sea ; pop. with suburbs, about 25,000. It was founded by Pizarro in 1539. The houses are general- ly of massive construction surrounded by gar- dens. The cathedral is a fine structure, and there are 23 other churches and chapels. It is one of the handsomest and most thriving cities in South America. ATiLA, Pedro Lopez de, a Spanish poet, chron- icler, and soldier, born at Murcia in 1332, died at Oalahorra in 1407. He held high offices under successive kings of Castile, was one of the supporters of Henry of Trastamare, and at the battle of Najera, in 1367, where he bore the banner of that leader, was made prisoner by Edward the Black Prince, and carried to England. He there wrote in prison his Ri- mada de Palacio, or " Rhyme of the Court." Having obtained his liberty, he returned to Spain, and was first minister of state, until in 1385 he was again taken captive in the battle of Aljubarota and carried prisoner to Portugal. He wrote a chronicle which begins at 1350, where that of Alfonso XI. ends, and embraces 46 years. AYAMONTE, a city of Spain, in the province and 24 m. "W. of the city of Huelva, near the mouth of the Guadiana; pop. about 6,000. The town is strongly fortified, but difficult of access, owing to the bar at the month of the river. The inhabitants are chiefly engaged in the sardine, tunny, and cod fisheries. AYE-AYE, a curious animal discovered by Sonnerat in Madagascar, constituting the ge- nus cheiromys of Sonnini. The common name seems to have been derived either from an ex- clamation of the natives or the cry of the ani- mal ; the generic name, meaning " handed mouse," implies its resemblance to a large rat, with feet like hands. Cuvier placed it among the rodents, near the flying squirrels, but he rec- ognized the mouse-like structure of the head ; Shaw, Schreber, and later Owen, ranked it among the lower quadrumana, the lemurida ; while Van der Hoeven regarded it as a link be- tween the monkeys and the rodents. Its prob- able place is among the quadrumana, near the lemurs, though it has interesting affinities to the rodents and bats. The incisor teeth are like those of rodents in number, position, and length of root, though more compressed later- ally and sharp-pointed ; the canines are absent ; the molars are 4 above and 3 below on each side. In its head and general shape it resem- bles the galagos of the lemur family ; the large, flat, erect, and naked ears are like those of the bats ; the last two joints of the middle finger of the fore feet are very long, slender, and bare, useful in picking larva? out of holes in trees, and perhaps in climbing ; all the feet have 5 fingers, the thumbs of the hind feet being op- Aye-Aye (Cheiromys Madagascaricus). posable to the others, as in the monkeys ; the head is rounded, and the muzzle short and pointed; the tail is long, heavily furred, and trails upon the ground. The color is rusty brown above, the cheeks, throat, and under parts light gray ; paws nearly black ; the hair is thick and downy, of a golden tint at the roots. It is about the size of a hare, the tail being as long as the body. The movements are slow, but more active than those of the loris. The eyes are large, yellow, and sensitive to light, as in all nocturnal creatures. It is believed to be a burrower, though it is also found on trees. The food is probably both fruits and insects, as in the lemur family; it thrives in captivity on boiled rice. It sleeps by day, curled up in the hollow of a tree or other dark place. Unlike the quadrumana, this ani- mal has the mammse on the lower part of the abdomen, instead of upon the breast. AYASALOOK, or Aiasalnk. See EPHESOT. AYESHA, or Aisha, the favorite wife of Moham- med, born at Medina in 611, died there about 678. She was the daughter of Abubekr, and was but nine years old when she was betrothed
