On the Natural History of the Malayan Peninsula. 395 



XLIX. — Observations on the Natural History of the Malayan 

 Peninsula. By Capt. P. J. Begbie, Madras Artillery. Com- 

 municated by H. E. Strickland, Esq. 



During a recent exploration of the riclily-furnislied shelves of 

 the RadclifFe Library at Oxford, I met with -a small volume en- 

 titled ^The Malayan Peninsula, embracing the History, Man- 

 ners and Customs of the Inhabitants, Politics, Natural History, 

 &c.,' by Capt. P. J. Begbie ; printed at the Vepery Mission 

 Press, 1834. As this volume is almost, if not entirely, unknown . 

 to British naturalists, and as the zoological observations appear 

 to be made by a careful and original observer, they may perhaps 

 be interesting to the readers of the ^ Annals^, notwithstanding 

 occasional inaccuracies in the scientific nomenclature. — H. E. S. 



Beghie^s Malayan Peninsuhy p. 497 et seq. 



The first species of the Ape tribe which is to be found in the 

 peninsula is the Troglodytes niger of M. Desmarest*, and the 

 Simia troglodytes of Linnseusf, better known to English readers 

 as the Chimpanse. 



This animal presents a striking similarity in external confor- 

 mation to the human figure. It stands about three feet high, 

 and is covered profusely with long black hair, that on the hind 

 head and shoulders being considerably longer than the rest. The 

 head rounded and skin of the face dark. The facial angle, or 

 that formed by a line drawn from the forehead to the muzzle, 

 and another from the muzzle to the bottom of the ear, is 50°. 

 The Chimpanse is destitute of a tail, cheek-pouches, and inter- 

 maxillary bones. The haunches are naked, but not callous. The 

 arms reach nearly to the knees, so as to be nearly proportioned 

 to the legs when the animal goes on all-fours. The hair on the 

 fore-arm is reversed, pointing to the elbows instead of to the 

 wrist. The hands and legs from the wrists and ankles are co- 

 vered with light brown hair, the terminal line of the black hair 

 being well-defined, so as to give an appearance of white gloves 

 and stockings. The face is encircled with a white beard. 



The Chimpanse is capable of receiving a considerable degree 

 of education, and can make use of a stick to assist its steps. It 

 is met with in troops of about 100 each, in various parts of the 

 ]\Ialayan archipelago : those in the peninsula generally delight 

 in the deep woods which clothe the sides of the various ranges 

 of hills, and are extremely shy and difficult of access. It is very 

 rarely that they are taken alive, — a circumstance perhaps to be 



* Stark's Elements of Natural History, vol. i, p. 41. 

 '\ Turton's System of Nature, vol. i. p. 10. 



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