NEST OF ORANG 



583 



indeed, the Orang has been described as moving with laborious 

 caution. 



This Ape inhabits flat and forest-clad ground, and lives mainly 

 in the trees. The male leads a solitary life except at the pairing 

 season, but the female goes about with her family. On the 

 ground the Orang walks with no great ease, and uses his arms as 

 crutches to swing the body along. Even on trees the rate of 

 progress is not rapid, and is accomplished with careful investiga- 

 tions as to the capabilities of the branches to bear his weight. 



FIG. 280. A, Skull of a young Orang-Utan. Simia satyrus. (One-third natural size.) 

 B, Skull of an adult Orang-Utan. (One-third natural size.) (From Wiedersheim's 

 Structure of Man.) 



The " Man of the Woods " has been stated to build a hut in trees. 

 This is an exaggeration of the fact that it constructs a temporary 

 nest. 



One of these nests has lately been described elaborately by 

 Dr. Moebius. It was found (by Dr. Selenka) on the fork of a 

 tree at a height of 11 metres from the ground. Every night, as 

 it appears, or every second night, the animal constructs a new nest 

 for himself, abandoning the old one. So numerous, therefore, are 

 these nests in localities frequented by Orangs, that a dozen can be 

 readily found in a day. The particular nest which Dr. Moebius 

 examined was 1*42 metres long, and at most '80 metre broad. It 

 was built of about twenty-five branches, broken off and laid for 



