86 ZOOLOGY OF THE BEISTOL MUSEUM, 



The characters are — 



** Head very small, feet long, hands touching the ground when 

 erect, no tail, skull flat with large orbits, teeth thirty-two, as in 

 man and the apes, upper canines very large ; body covered with 

 dark hair, differing in the several species and at different ages." 



The species described are — 



H. — Agilis, or Yariegatus, from Sumatra, called ** Ungka- 



puti" by the natives. 

 H. — Syndactytus, or '* Siamang," from the Sumatsh. 

 H. — Lar, or Albimanus, from India and Malacca. 

 H. — Hooluck, from Assam. 

 H. — Concolor, from Borneo. 

 H. — Leuciscus, from Java, called the ""Wow-wow." 



Of these perhaps the first and second are the best known. 



Of the two exhibited, the larger appears to be H. agilis; the 

 smaller may probably be H. Hooluck^ although its markings 

 agree with the male H. agilis, it came from Nepal. The H. 

 syndactytus, or Siamang, is remarkable for having the first and 

 second fingers of the hind limbs joined by membrane as far as 

 the middle of the second joint; it has also cheek pouches. The 

 name *' Wow-wow" given to H. leuciscus, is descriptive of its 

 peculiar loud cry which is uttered especially towards morning, 

 and can be heard at great distances. In a room it is described 

 as somewhat deafening. Mr. J. Gr. "Wood describes the musical 

 characters of the cry of one species at considerable length. 

 During the uttering of a series of these cries, increasing in 

 intensity, the whole body was seen to be in a state of excitement, 

 lapsing into quietude at the close of the performance. Their 

 manners when domesticated appear to be gentle, and they are 

 capable of attachment to man. 



In the Gibbon, besides the greater length of the arms, the 

 thumb is not truly opposible as in the apes. The chest is 

 large, indicative of the activity which is so characteristic of these 

 creatures, and which is so great as to enable them to swing 



