150 HYLOBATES 



bough, and tree to tree, in many a graceful swing and curve, rivalling in 

 its swift flight that of the feathered inhabitants of its leafy abode. 



The great peculiarity of the Gibbon is its exceedingly long fore- 

 arm, which so lengthens the entire arm that the tips of the fingers can 

 touch the ground if the animal should stand erect, for the slender hand 

 is longer than the foot, and the thumb is long in proportion. 



The voice is wonderfully powerful, and can be heard for a great 

 distance. Gibbons go in troops, and call early in the morning when 

 they may be heard howling in chorus, and at such times the volume of 

 sound is phenomenal. But one young is produced at a time and this 

 is carried by the mother under her body, the little one clinging to her 

 fur with hands and feet, its weight seeming not to have the slightest 

 effect on the female as she makes her way through the forest by 

 prodigious swings. 



The Gibbon is a very delicate animal, in spite of its selecting 

 usually an elevated habitat, and rarely survives long in captivity, 

 generally succumbing to some pulmonary complaint. As a rule it 

 is very gentle, sometimes even affectionate, and does not object to 

 being handled even by strangers, coming close up to the side of its 

 cage and inserting its hand and at times its entire arm between the bars, 

 and regarding with grave attention any one who may take its hand and 

 gently stroke the arm. 



Most of the recognized species are very variable in coloring and 

 this appears to be regulated by no rule, but is merely an individual 

 peculiarity. The Gibbons never leave the forests of the more elevated 

 tracts of their habitats, and one species only goes to the vicinity of 

 the coasts, the Symphalangus syndactylus of Sumatra. 



LITERATURE OF THE SPECIES. 



1771. LinncBus, Mantissa Plantarum. 



Hylobates lar first described as Homo lar. 



1775. Schreber, Die S'dugthiere. 



Hylobates lar redescribed as Simla longimana. 



1809. Latreille, in Sonini Edition Histoire Naturelle de Buff on. 

 Hylobates lar redescribed as Pithecus varius. 



1812. E. Geoffroy, in Annates du Museum d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris. 

 Hylobates agilis Cuv., (1821), called Pithecus lar nee 

 (Linn.) ; and Hylobates lar redescribed as Pithecus varie- 

 gatus; and H. leuciscus first described as Pithecus leuciscus. 



1820. Kuhl, Beitrdge zur Zoologie und vergleichenden Anatomic. 



