THE MAN-LIKE APES. 43 



again to the cage she kad left — a feat requii'ing not only 

 great strength, but the nicest precision." 



The Gibbons appear to be naturally very gentle, but 

 there is very good evidence that they will bite severely 

 when irritated— a female Hylobates. agilis havdng so se- 

 verely lacerated one man with her long canines, that he 

 died ; while she had injured others so much that, by way 

 of precaution, these formidable teeth had been filed down; 

 but, if threatened, she would still turn on her keeper. 

 The Gibbons eat insects, but appear generally to avoid 

 animal food. A Siamang, however, was seen by Mr. 

 Bennett to seize and devour greedily a live lizard. They 

 commonly drink by dipping their fingers in the liquid 

 and then licking them. It is asserted that they sleep in a 

 sitting posture. 



Duvaucel affirms that he has seen the females carry 

 their young to the waterside and there wash their faces, 

 in spite of resistance and cries. They are gentle and 

 afiectionate in captivity — full of tricks and pettishness, 

 like spoiled children, and yet not devoid of a certain con- 

 science, as an anecdote, told by Mr. Bennett (1. c. p. 156), 

 will show. It would appear that his Gibbon had a pecu- 

 liar inclination for disarranging things in the cabin. 

 Among these articles, a piece of soap would especially 

 attract his notice, and for the removal of this he had been 

 once or twice scolded. " One morning," says Mr. Ben- 

 nett, " I was writing, the ape being present in the cabin, 

 when casting my eyes towards him, I saw the little fellow 

 taking the soap. I watched him without his perceiving 

 that I did ,so : and he occasionally would cast a furtive 

 glance towards the place where I sat. I pretended to 

 write ; he, seeing me busily occupied, took the soap, and 

 moved away with it in his paw. When he had walked 



