N. GYLDENSTOLPE, MAMMALS COLLECTED IN SIAM. 7 



longed to the white variety. By the way, all the natives I 

 asked said that the white ones were females and the black 

 ones males. As soon as the leader caught sight of us they 

 at once either concealed themselves among the confusion 

 of leaves at the top of the high trees or hurried a way 

 always using their long arms and swinging themselves for 

 great distances from branch to branch and from tree to tree. 

 It is rather astonishing how they use their arms when 

 swinging, and they really perform real equilibristical tricks 

 without any visible exertion. 



In the evergreen forests of Northern Siarn Gibbons were 

 also very common, and almost every morning I was waked 

 by their loud wails. Especially when a faint mist spread 

 its covering veil över the hills and forests the Gibbons per- 

 formed a real concert with their stränge chants which only 

 lasted until sun-rise, or very seldom much longer. During 

 day-time I only heard them uttering sounds when they were 

 disturbed in some way. 



Mr. E. Eisenhofer had three tame Gibbons — two black 

 and one white — as pets in his bungalow at Bång Hue Horn, 

 and as they were quite at liberty sometimes even making 

 excursions into the adjacent virgin forest for several hours, 

 I had there a very good opportunity of observing their 

 habits. 



When walking — which they, however, very seldom did 

 — they always balanced with their long arms stretched up- 

 wards, thus giving them a very peculiar aspect. When they 

 were disturbed in any way when feeding on fruits, as for in- 

 stance bananas, they at once escaped up in a tree, keeping 

 the fruit by means of their hind legs, never using their arms 

 but for climbing. When drinking they always scooped up 

 the water to the mouth by means of their hands. As soon 

 as the sun began to set they searched their night quarter 

 either among the thick foliage of a tree or on a beam in the 

 roof of the bungalow, always creeping close together to warm 

 and protect each other. They are very intelligent and will 

 become very tame when captured young. The youngs stick 

 to the body of the mother for a rather long time, and once 

 when I shot a big female it had a nearly half-grown young 

 twined round the breast. 



