74 MAMMALIA — ORANG OUTANG. 



sake of reading apart from the noise of the ship ; and, having satisfied him- 

 self that my pockets contained no eatables, would Me down by my side, and 

 pulling a topsail entirely over him, peep from it occasionally to watch my 

 movements. 



" His favorite amusement in Java, was in swinging from the branches of 

 trees, in passing from one to another, and in climbing over the roofs of 

 houses ; on board, in hanging by his arms from the ropes, and in romping 

 with the boys of the ship. He would entice them into play by striking 

 them with his hand as they passed, and bounding from them, but allowing 

 them to overtake him, and engage in a mock scuffle, in which he used his 

 hand p ,, feet, and mouth. If any conjecture could be formed from these 

 frolics, of his mode of attacking an adversary, it would appear to be his first 

 object to throw him down, then to secure him with his hands and feet, and 

 then wound him with his teeth. 



"On board ship, he commonly slept at the mast-head, after wrapping him- 

 self in a sail. In making his bed, he used the greatest pains to remove 

 every thing out of his way, that might render the surface on which he 

 intended to lie, uneven; and, having satisfied himself with this part of his 

 arrangement, spread out the sail, and lying down upon it on his back, drew 

 it over his body. Sometimes I pre-occupied his bed, and teased him by 

 refusing to give it up. On these occasions, he would endeavor to pull the 

 sail from under me, or to force me from it, and would not rest till I had 

 resigned it. If it were large enough for both, he would quietly lie by my 

 side. If all the sails happened to be set, he would hunt about for some 

 other covering, and either steal one of the sailors' jackets or shirts that 

 happened to be drying, or empty a hammock of its blankets. Off the Cape 

 of Good Hope, he suffered much from a low temperature, especially early 

 in the morning, when he would descend from the mast, shivering with cold, 

 and running up to any one of his friends, climb into their arms, and clasp- 

 ing them closely, derive warmth from their persons, screaming violently at 

 any attempt to remove him. 



" His food in Java was chiefly fruit, especially mangostans, of which he 

 was extremely fond. He preferred coffee and tea, but would readily take 

 wine, and exemplified his attachment to spirits by stealing the captain's 

 brandy bottle. Since his arrival in London, he has preferred beer and rrilk 

 to any thing else, but drinks wine and other liquors. 



"In his attempts to obtain food, he afforded us many opportunities of 

 judging of his sagacity and disposition. He was always very impatient to 

 receive it when held out to him, and became passionate when it was not 

 soon given up; and would chase a person all over the ship to obtain it. I 

 seldom came upon deck without sweetmeats or fruit in my pocket, and 

 could never escape his vigilant eye. Sometimes I endeavored to evade him 

 by ascending to the mast-head, but was always overtaken or intercepted in 

 my progress. When he came up with me on the shrouds, he would secure 



