I THE ORANG. 53 



soon becomes domesticated, and indeed seems to 

 court human society, it is naturally a very wild 

 and shy animal, though apparently sluggish and 

 melancholy. The Dyaks affirm, that when the old 

 males are wounded with arrows only, they will oc- 

 casionally leave the trees and rush raging upon 

 their enemies, whose sole safety lies in instant 

 flight, as they are sure to be killed if caught.* 



* Sir James Brooke, in a letter to Mr. Waterhouse, 

 published in the proceedings of the Zoological Society for 

 1841, says:— "On the habits of the Orangs, as far as I 

 have been able to observe them, I may remark that they 

 are as dull and slothful as can well be conceived, and on 

 no occasion, when pursuing them, did they move so fast 

 as to preclude my keeping pace with them easily through 

 a moderately clear forest; and even when obstructions 

 below (such as wading up to the neck) allowed them to 

 get away some distance, they were sure to stop and allow 

 me to come up. I never observed the slightest attempt at 

 defence, and the wood which sometimes rattled about our 

 ears was broken by their weight, and not thrown, as some 

 persons represent. If pushed to extremity, however, the 

 Pappati could not be otherwise than formidable, and one 

 unfortunate man, who, with a party, was trying to catch 

 a large one alive, lost two of his fingers, besides being 

 severely bitten on the face, whilst the animal finally beat 

 off his pursuers and escaped." 



Mr. Wallace, on the other hand, affirms that he has 

 several times observed them throwing down branches 

 when pursued. " It is true he does not throw them at a 

 person, but casts them down vertically; for it is evi- 

 dent that a bough cannot be thrown to anv distance from 

 the top of a lofty tree. In one case a female Mias, on a 

 durian tree, kept up for at least ten minutes a continu- 

 ous shower of branches and of the heavy, spined fruits, as 

 large as 32-pounders, which most effectually kept us clear 

 of the tree she was on. She could be seen breaking them 

 off and throwing them down with every appearance of 

 rage, uttering at intervals a loud pumping grunt, and 

 evidently meaning mischief." — " On the Habits of the 



