54 Borneo — The Orang-Utan. 



which was changed and washed every day, and I soon found 

 it necessary to wash the little mias as well. After I had 

 done so a few times, it came to like the operation, and as soon 

 as it was dirty would begin crying, and not leave off till I 

 took it out and carried it to the spout, when it immediately 

 became quiet, although it would wince a little at the first 

 rush of the cold water and make ridiculously wry faces while 

 the stream was running over its head. It enjoyed the wiping 

 and rubbing dry amazingly, and when I brushed its hair seem- 

 ed to be perfectly happy, lying quite still, with its arms and 

 legs stretched out, while I thoroughly brushed the long hair 

 of its back and arms. For the first few days it clung desper- 

 ately with all four hands to whatever it could lay hold of, 

 and I had to be careful to keep my beard out of its way, as 

 its fingers clutched hold of hair more tenaciously than any 

 thing else, and it was impossible to free myself without as- 

 sistance. When restless, it would struggle about with its 

 hands up in the air trying to find something to take hold of, 

 and, when it had got a bit of stick or rag in two or three of 

 its hands, seemed quite happy. For want of something else, 

 it would often seize its own feet, and after a time it would con- 

 stantly cross its arms and grasp with each hand the long hair 

 that grew just below the opposite shoulder. The great tena- 

 city of its grasp soon diminished, and I was obliged to invent 

 some means to give it exercise and sti*engthen its limbs. For 

 this purpose I made a short ladder of three or four rounds, on 

 which I put it to hang for a quarter of an hour at a time. At 

 first it seemed much pleased, but it could not get all four 

 hands in a comfortable position, and, after changing about 

 several times, would leave hold of one hand after the other 

 and drop on to the floor. Sometimes when hanging only by 

 two hands, it would loose one, and cross it to the opposite 

 shoulder, grasping its own hair ; and, as this seemed much 

 more agreeable than the stick, it would then loose the other 

 and tumble down, when it would cross both and lie on its 

 back quite contentedly, never seeming to be hurt by its nu- 

 merous tumbles. Finding it so fond of hair, I endeavored to 

 make an artificial mother, by wrapping up a piece of buffalo- 

 skin into a bvmdie, and suspending it about a foot from the 

 floor. At first this seemed to suit it admirably, as it could 



