THE GIBBONS. 



15 



Wau-Wau and the Siamang, the one without, and the other 

 with, a laryngeal sac, are equally vigorous in this respect. 



The female produces but a single young one at a birth, of 

 which she takes the greatest care. She carries it about, cling- 

 ing to the under side of her body, for many months. It is 

 said that she even takes it to the waterside from time to time, 

 and with much solicitude, and in spite of its cries and resist- 

 ance, washes its face. 



The Gibbons frequent the great upland forests ; but the 

 Siamang {H. sy?idactylus) may be met with at quite low 

 levels and close to the coast. Their food consists of fruit, 

 leaves, and insects, eggs of birds, and apparently birds and 

 lizards, and especially spiders. They drink either by put- 

 ting the mouth down to the water, or by dipping in their 

 hands and thus carrying it to their mouths. 



The Gibbons are confined to two Sub regions of the Indian 

 Region. With the exception of the Siamang, all the so-called 

 species of Hylobates are so closely allied to each other, and 

 differ by characters of such slight importance, that they seem 

 to be hardly worthy of specific distinction. {Thomas,) 



I. THE AGILE GIBBON. HYLOBATES AGILIS. 



Pithecus lar (nee L.), Geoffr., Ann. Mus., xix., p. 88 (181 2). 



Hylobates agilis, F. Cuv., Hist. Nat. des Mammif., Sept. 182 1, 

 pis. v., vi. ; Miiller, Tijdschr. Nat. Gesch., ii., p. 326 

 (1835); Martin, Mammif. Anim., p. 416 (1841); Fry, 

 P. Z. S., 1846, p. II ; Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 

 12 (1870); Schl, Mus. Pays-Bas, vii., p. 17 (1876 

 Anderson, Zool. Res. Exped. Yun-nan, p. 9 (1878; with 

 full synonymy). 



fithecus agilis^ Desmar., Mamm., p. 532 (1820). 



